A Season of Miracles
by MyImmortal329
Summary: Sequel to Something Borrowed, Something Blue. Michaela and Sully deal with married life, the joy it brings, and the trials they face.
1. Wedding Night

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. The rights to those characters and to the show belong to the creators of the show, to CBS, The Sullivan Company and to A&E.**

A Season of Miracles

**Chapter 1: Wedding Night**

The wintry afternoon was filled with talking, music, and laughter as the townsfolk of Colorado Springs gathered at the church to celebrate the union of Michaela and Sully. The happy couple was sitting at the center table, talking and holding hands, sneaking kisses between conversations with their loved ones and friends. The day had been perfect, and Michaela knew that this was the most memorable day she had ever had.

Cloud Dancing had stayed long enough to wish the newlyweds well, and left shortly after to rejoin his family and tribe. Grace had prepared a gorgeous three-tiered wedding cake with beautiful white icing. After the cutting of the cake and the beautiful dinner, the tables were cleared, except for the bride and groom's table, and the town's band struck up some music. The song was slow and beautiful, and the newlyweds were asked to share their first dance as husband and wife. Michaela smiled as Sully stood and held his hand out to her. She took it and he led her out to the floor. They began to dance, and after a good minute, they motioned for the others to join in.

"You look so amazing," Sully whispered as they danced. Michaela blushed and smiled happily up at her husband. "You're really happy?"

"I'm happier than I've ever been in my whole life."

"To tell ya the truth, I'd rather leave this party and take you home."

"Sully!" Michaela exclaimed as Sully nuzzled her neck. She bit her bottom lip as his lips grazed the nape of her neck. Honestly, all she wanted to do was leave and spend the rest of the day and night in the arms of her husband. She was nervous, however, because she had never been with a man.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"We can't just leave," she whispered, her lips brushing against his.

"Why not? They're havin' fun."

"They might notice when the bride and groom slip away."

"So what. They'll know it was for a good reason." Michaela laughed and leaned her head on Sully's shoulder. Jake and Loren came walking over as soon as the music stopped.

"When do you want us to go out and start movin' your stuff over to the new house?" Horace asked.

"Anytime is fine. You can stay and have some more cake if you'd like," Michaela replied.

"To tell ya the truth, I already had five pieces, and I'm feelin' kinda poorly," Horace replied. Sully and Jake both laughed and Michaela shook her head. "I'll get some of the fellas together and we'll ride out to the house. We'll leave the clothes and stuff. I'm sure you wouldn't want any of 'em goin' through your delicates." Michaela blushed.

"Thank you, Horace. I'll get those things." Horace nodded. The music started up again, and the crowd seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely. Sully took Michaela's hand and led her outside. "Sully?"

"Come on," Sully replied.

"Where are we going?" Michaela asked.

"You'll see," Sully replied. They raced across town and Sully pulled Michaela inside of the barbershop where he had gotten ready earlier that morning. He shut the door and pulled the shades. Michaela's stomach began to develop butterflies when Sully turned to look at her with a look more passionate and loving than she had ever seen. He pulled her into his arms and his lips began to explore every part of her neck.

"Sully, we can't do this here," Michaela mumbled as Sully's lips found hers and her words were lost.

"I just want to be alone with you," Sully replied. "I just wanna hold ya for a minute." He kissed her once more before the door flew open and Jake Slicker stood there with his arms folded across his chest. Michaela and Sully pulled apart and looked like two teenagers who had been caught kissing in the barn.

"Oh no. You ain't doin' that in my shop," Jake said. "Besides, you've got over a hundred guests over at that church who are lookin' for ya. We have some of the guys comin' out to the homestead. Why don't ya call the reception quits and have everyone come pitch in."

"We're just letting them enjoy themselves," Michaela pointed out.

"Admit it, Dr. Mike. The sooner that reception is over, the sooner everyone can get ya'll moved into the new place, and the sooner you and Sully can get to your honeymoon." Michaela's face blushed brightly and she looked at Sully who rubbed her back reassuringly.

"Come on," Sully replied, taking her hand. "Let's get back before they start to suspect we've left 'em for good." The newlyweds left the barbershop while Jake stood in his shop laughing to himself.

The reception ended about an hour later, and everyone headed home to put on warmer clothes before they started off toward Michaela's old homestead to help pack things up. Michaela changed out of her wedding dress and into a regular blue dress that kept her a bit warmer in the winter chill. She was relieved to put some regular boots on, because her feet had started throbbing in those beautiful shoes Charlotte had paid so much for.

Sully too had changed into his usual clothes as well, but he was wearing his coat as he and Michaela rode in their appropriately decorated wagon out to the old homestead. They couldn't help but kiss and hold one another as they rode, and everyone they passed on the road had gotten word that there had been a wedding in Colorado Springs, so when they saw the wagon decorated and carrying the beautiful couple, they smiled nodded in their direction.

When they arrived at the homestead, most of the large things had been taken out already and was on their way to the new homestead. Sully helped Michaela pull the smaller items, along with her clothes into the wagon.

Sully found Michaela blushing when he pulled some of her under garments into a basket to load into the wagon. He only smiled, finding her nervous embarrassment endearing. He knew she was nervous about the wedding night, and he was going to do everything he could to help her relax and not be afraid.

"Sully?" Michaela asked as she packed some jars of canned fruit she had received as payment from some patients into a crate to be loaded into the wagon.

"Yeah?" Sully asked as he put the kitchen table on it's top and loaded up the chairs.

"This might sound silly, but I'm nervous," Michaela whispered. "You've been married before, but I haven't." She looked up into his eyes and Sully walked around to take her hands in his.

"Don't you worry. We'll take it nice and easy." Michaela smiled at Sully's encouraging words and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He held her in his arms for a few minutes, realizing that her heart was pounding with nervous anticipation. Sully could do nothing at the moment to ease her worries except rub her back and try to calm her breathing. He kissed the top of her head and waited until her wave of nervousness had passed. "Better?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"Anytime you need me to hold ya, just ask. Don't forget that." He kissed the top of her head and pulled her gently toward the wagon. "C'mon. Let's get to the new homestead. I gotta carry you over the threshold." Michaela sighed happily and kissed her new husband before they started off toward their new home.

The fire in the master bedroom was crackling as Michaela sat on the bed Sully had made for their room. Sully was downstairs seeing their friends and family off. Michaela was nervous, and she began to run her hand along the bedspread, knowing that in a few minutes, she would be with a man, her husband for the first time.

A whole range of emotions were bundled up in the pit of her stomach. She was afraid, excited, anxious, and deliriously happy. She wasn't sure what to expect, but she trusted Sully when he told her they would take it nice and easy.

Michaela could hear Sully's footsteps coming up the stairs, and her stomach jumped practically up into her throat. She kicked her shoes off across the room, and they almost landed in the fire. Luckily they hit the wall and thudded to the floor. She bit her lip, chewing at it anxiously as the doorknob turned. Sully entered their bedroom, and she looked at him shyly from her seat on the bed.

"Everybody's on their way back into town," Sully said quietly, shutting the door behind him.

"Oh?" Michaela asked.

"Yeah, it's Christmas Day, and they wanna spend time with their loved ones."

"So we're alone?"

"For the rest of the night," Sully answered with a nod. "And the next week. We have a whole week alone together without any interruptions unless there's an emergency." Michaela blushed as Sully's hands rested on Michaela's arms and traveled up to her shoulders sensually. As his bare hands touched the exposed flesh on her neck, shivers went up her spine. "You know I love you."

"And I love you," Michaela whispered as Sully's lips brushed against hers.

"I don't ever wanna hurt you."

"I know," Michaela replied, blushing a little more. "I trust you." Sully kissed her reassuringly, this time his lips didn't leave her skin. They moved from her lips down her neck, and broke away as he began to unbutton her dress. The anxiety inside of Michaela was slowly turning into passion as Sully's fingers worked their way down the front of her dress. He finally exposed the skin on her chest and was frustrated to find that Michaela was still wearing the corset she had worn under her wedding gown. He had never had to work with one of those before, and now he was a bit nervous. He slid the dress down her arms, running his hands along her bare flesh. He placed feather light kisses on her shoulders, all the way down to the tips of her fingers, lightly wetting her skin with the tip of his tongue. He backed away slowly and reached up to pull the stockings off of her legs. Her toes curled as Sully's fingers traced invisible lines down her legs as he removed them.

New feelings were emerging inside of Michaela as Sully's hands touched places nobody else had before. Sully could see that Michaela was starting to relax a bit as her head rolled back a bit when he came up to kiss her again. His hands began to work at the strings on her corset, slowly at first. As their kissing grew more intense, they fell back onto the bed, laughing at first, but kissing the next moment. Michaela rolled onto her side so Sully could try to get the corset off. But something was wrong, and Michaela began to suspect that the girls had knotted it in order to stall them as a joke.

Sully stood from the bed and took a break from trying to get Michaela out of that contraption, and he removed his shirt. Michaela sat up and bit her bottom lip as he placed his shirt on the hook he had put on the back of the door. The way he walked slowly across the room made Michaela's heart pound even faster. Her eyes took in the sight of her new husband and his beautiful body. He was perfect, and everything she imagined, but she grew nervous when he removed his boots and began to work with the clasp that held his pants on. She swallowed hard and she almost looked away from embarrassment, but Sully leaned in to give her a quick kiss.

She wasn't sure what was to come next, because the first time she had seen a naked man was in medical school when she was dissecting him. Before Michaela could think again, Sully was throwing his pants to the side. She finally saw him in his full glory, naked and gorgeous. She found herself blushing at her thoughts, blushing at the size of him, and beginning to grow nervous because of the very reason she had been blushing. Sully didn't seem to look so embarrassed, and she knew he had absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about. She was worried about what he would think of her. He was going to be the first man to see her without her clothes on. The only man to ever see her naked before was her father. But that was twenty-five years ago when she was an infant.

Sully pulled Michaela up to stand for a moment while her dress pooled at her feet. She sat back down and Sully pulled her undergarment off, being a gentleman and keeping his eyes fixed on her eyes. Michaela felt as if she was going to topple over. She was trembling and her knees were shaking. Sully gently eased her back onto the bed, and the feeling of his naked skin against her own was the most amazing thing she had felt so far in her entire life. She wanted more of his touch, and they began to kiss passionately as Sully continued to work at getting her corset off. A moment later, they heard a rip and began to laugh.

The laughter died down a moment after and the passion in their eyes told them what was going to come next.

"I'll buy you another one," Sully promised. "But you don't really need it. You're beautiful without it." He ripped the torn corset off of his wife's beautiful body, and he stepped away from the bed and take in her gorgeous body. Michaela felt as if she was going to turn into a beet from the hotness she felt on her face. Sully smiled as he drank in his wife's beauty. His wife. It hadn't hit either of them just yet that they were no longer just courting. They were married and about to give themselves to each other in mind, body, and soul.

Sully pulled Michaela into his arms, holding her close so she wouldn't catch a chill, but Michaela couldn't feel anything except for the heat that was building up inside of her. Her head rested on the bed, her hair still up in all of its pins from the wedding. Sully didn't want to bother with those because he knew that if he did, they would never get to consummate their marriage. Michaela's chest was heaving as her breaths came in short little gasps. Sully's hands were traveling to regions they had never traveled to before as his mouth traveled to kiss the soft, sensitive flesh between her breasts. His tongue began to trace circles on her exposed flesh, teasing her breasts carefully with his tender caresses.

"Sully," Michaela whispered. Her hands ran across his strong, muscular back as he moved up to look into his eyes. He saw the brief look of uncertainty and anxiety in her eyes.

"I don't wanna hurt ya."

"You won't Michaela assured him. I love you," she whispered.

"I love you," Sully replied softly. Michaela's hands clenched tightly as she and Sully became one for the first time. Sully was breathing heavily now, trying to contain himself for Michaela's sake. He searched her face and her eyes were shut tightly. He slowly began to make love to her, trying to make their first time as comfortable as possible. He kissed her lips reassuringly as Michaela felt like a woman for the first time. Her eyes opened, brimmed with tears and full of love. She relaxed as best as she could and throughout the rest of the night, they began to know every part of each other, and Michaela's enthusiasm for cuddling with her husband peaked through. She and Sully both knew that the next week would be spent in the bedroom as much as possible, and both were praying that there would be no interruptions.

It was around midnight when Michaela stirred in Sully's arms. He hadn't gone to sleep because he couldn't take his eyes off of the woman that he had promised himself to for the rest of his life. However, she had been exhausted, and Sully finally knew what it was like to hold his wife in his arms all through the night, smell the wonderful scent of the soap she used for her hair, and feel her warm skin against his.

"Mmm," Michaela mumbled as Sully's hands grazed her back. Her eyes flew open and she jumped a bit.

"You okay?"

"Yes," she whispered. She blushed and choked back a laugh. "Your hands are cold."

"Sorry," Sully replied with a tired chuckle. She craned her neck to look up into his eyes. Months and months of tension between the two of them had combusted and turned into something better than Michaela ever expected. She was completely happy and knew that the waiting had been worth it.

"It's alright," she whispered.

"You feel alright?"

"Mhm," she mumbled tiredly.

"You sure?"

"I feel wonderful," she replied with a dazed look in her eyes and a smile on her face. "You've made me so happy." Sully chuckled a little and pulled his arms snugly around her.

"Good," he replied. "But you've made me even happier." Michaela sat up a little, feeling the pins in her hair beginning to poke her. She began to take them out, letting the blanket fall around her middle, exposing her upper half. Sully's hands met hers and began to take the pins out. She let him remove the pins from her hair, and soon, her hair was freed, but definitely a mess from the curls that had straightened out, and from, well, earlier activities. Sully took Michaela's brush from the nightstand and ran it through her hair, brushing out all of the tangles in her incredibly long, soft hair. Michaela leaned forward as Sully finished brushing her hair, and once he was finished, she leaned against his chest and they snuggled back down in the bed.

"This has been a wonderful day, Sully," Michaela whispered as her head rested on his chest, hearing his heart beat steadily in his chest. "You've given me the most wonderful Christmas gift I've ever received."

"Which one?" Sully asked. They both laughed and felt so happy to be in one another's arms.

"Alright, two gifts," she replied. "You're the first man I ever kissed, courted, married, and made love with. You're the only man . . ."

"And you're the only woman I can ever see myself spending the rest of my life with." He kissed her forehead and let out a heavy sigh. "You're the only woman I want to start a family with. You're the most incredible woman I've ever known, and I'm proud to call myself your husband." Michaela sighed happily and kissed her husband, running her fingers through his hair as he did the same to her. The look in Michaela's eyes told Sully want she wanted and needed. "I thought you were tired."  
"Mmm, not anymore," she replied with an eager, kissing him once more. "You don't mind?"

"Nope," he replied, kissing her nose. "I appreciate your enthusiasm."

"What?"

"It's just something," he whispered, kissing his wife's luscious lips, "Cheyenne men ask new husbands. They ask if their brides have enthusiasm. The same goes for new Cheyenne brides."

"Well in that case," Michaela whispered as Sully deepened their kiss, making it clear what he too wanted, "I appreciate your enthusiasm." They laughed happily together before fulfilling each other's needs and wants, living in the glory of their wedding night, not wanting to let each other go for the rest of their lives.


	2. Dreams of the Future

**Chapter 2: Dreams of the Future**

_"Pa! Pa!" Sully ran into the young boy's room and pulled him from his bed. The toddler clung to him, his whole body trembling. _

_"It's alright, boy," Sully whispered, rocking his son back and forth. _

_"Bad dweam," he whispered._

_"Alright," Sully replied. "Come on. Let's go see mama." Sully carried the boy down the hall to his and Michaela's room. He smiled when he saw Michaela sitting up in bed, a mother's glow all around her as she nursed their newborn child._

_"He had another bad dream," Sully whispered. _

"_Bring him over here," Michaela replied with a smile. The boy saw his mother and held his arms out to her. Sully came to sit down on the bed beside his wife, careful not to move too much._

_"Baby eat," the boy said with a quizzical look in his eyes. _

_"Yes, my love," Michaela whispered, kissing her youngest son's cheek. "Your baby sister is hungry." She gently caressed her infant daughter's cheek with her finger, and the baby cooed. Sully smiled proudly as his son bent to kiss the baby's head._

_"Be careful with the baby," Sully reminded him._

_"I careful," the baby said with a nod. Sully looked up into his wife's eyes and though she was exhausted, she grinned at him and her eyes sparkled with happiness._

Sully sat up in bed when he couldn't feel Michaela in his arms any longer. He saw that it was about dawn from the bluish haze that filled the room. He looked up to see Michaela standing at the window with her robe tied around her snugly. The fire was still crackling, but Sully knew he should add some more wood. He quietly climbed out of bed and added a few logs onto the fire. Michaela heard him and turned quickly, feeling alarm at first, but was relieved knowing that her husband was in the room. For awhile, she had slipped between sleep and consciousness, not knowing if the wedding and honeymoon night had been a dream or reality. But once she woke and found herself in Sully's arms, she knew she wasn't dreaming.

"Mornin'," Sully whispered.

"Good morning," Michaela replied as Sully walked over to stand behind her at the window, his arms wrapped securely around her waist. She leaned back into his chest as they stared out the window together. "It snowed a lot over the night."

"Sure did," Sully replied. "Why didn't ya wake me?"

"You looked like you were having a nice dream," Michaela replied, turning in her husband's arms to wrap her arms around his neck.

"I was."

"Do you mind me asking what you were dreaming about?"

"Of course not," Sully replied with a smile. He cleared his throat and tucked a loose strand of Michaela's hair behind her ear, kissing her cheek softly. "I had a dream that someone was callin' me pa. I rushed into a room, the spare room, and our son was sittin' up in his bed."

"Was it Brian?"

"No. He was a baby, probably 'round two or so. He looked just like me except he didn't have much hair." Michaela giggled and Sully kissed her softly. "He told me he had a bad dream, so I brought him to our room where you were nursin' our newborn daughter."  
"I thought we were going to have a girl first," Michaela replied, her eyes twinkling with delight.

"I don't care what we have first now that I've had that dream," Sully replied. "I just know that I wanna have a family with you."

"And I with you," Michaela replied with a nod.

"Never know, maybe we'll make a baby real soon."

"Sully, don't you think it's a bit early?"

"Never stopped us from doin' anything before," Sully reminded her. Michaela laughed and shook her head.

"I doubt it'll happen so soon. The chances are highly unlikely." For a moment, she thought she saw a flicker of disappointment in Sully's eyes.

"But we could have fun tryin'," he pointed out. Michaela giggled again and hugged her new husband. She started toward the bed, holding Sully's hand in hers. Sully scooped her up in his arms and kissed her with a renewed passion. They fell back onto the bed, never breaking apart from one another, once again proving their love and enthusiasm to one another.

A cloaked figure rode into town on a black stallion. The cold wind was bitter and chilling right to the bone. The sun shone on the snow, practically blinding the older man, and it came up nearly a foot on the tired horse's legs, but the rider kept him trotting through the snow. It had been quite a few years since he'd been in this small town, but from the looks of it, everything had remained the same.

"Whoa," he called to his horse, which paused in the freezing snow. He dismounted, his fancy, shiny black boots sparkling in the sunlight. He knew that he was there to find his family, but he also had to find a doctor. He looked around, spotting a building that looked like a clinic. He wasn't sure what the sign read, because he couldn't read, but he did know that if his hand didn't get sewn up soon, he might lose it.

Brian walked out of one of the rooms of the clinic, rubbing his tired eyes. Colleen was out in the hall with a basket of food. It was just after sun up, and it looked as if Colleen had been up for awhile.

"You fixed breakfast?"

"Nope. Grace brought it over. She figured we'd be hungry."

"I am!" Brian said, reaching for the basket. Colleen tugged it away.

"We're waitin' on Matthew to get up. Ma's awake, so we'll go talk with her."

"Okay," Brian replied. Colleen and Brian walked into Charlotte's room. Charlotte was sitting up in bed, and Elizabeth was putting an extra blanket over her.

"Good morning, children," Elizabeth greeted her future grandchildren.

"Mornin'," the children replied in unison. Elizabeth smiled at Brian.

"Brian, did you see the snow outside? It snowed at least six inches last night," Elizabeth pointed out. Brian ran over to the window and looked outside.

"Wow!" he said in amazement. "Ma? Can I go play outside later?"

"Only if you promise to have Colleen and Brian go with you and that you bundle up."

"I will," Brian said with a nod. Charlotte smiled at her son and Elizabeth left the room. Brian climbed up onto the bed to sit beside his mother while Colleen sat down in the rocking chair at Charlotte's bedside.

"Is Dr. Mike comin' in today?" Brian asked. Charlotte smiled and smoothed her son's hair back out of his eyes, making a mental note to send him to Jake's later for a haircut.

"No, she's takin' the week off to spend time with Sully."

"Why?" Brian asked. Charlotte and Colleen glanced at each other and smiled.

"Well, they're married and they just want to be alone."

"But why?"

"Dr. Mike and Sully will explain it to you when you're older."

"But . . ." Before Brian could get his next question out, a loud banging startled the family.

"Who could be out in this weather?" Charlotte wondered. Colleen walked out into the hall and Brian followed. Matthew had woken up, and was halfway down the stairs. Josef, Elizabeth, and the Quinn sisters came from their rooms, startled from the noise as well.

"Children, stay up here," Elizabeth urged. Colleen and Brian walked over to stand with them while Matthew checked out who the visitor was downstairs.

Matthew rubbed his hands together and started a fire in the woodstove before he answered the door. The banging continued.

"Will ya wait a minute?!" Matthew asked in frustration. The banging continued and Matthew threw the door open to come face to face with the father who had abandoned him years ago.

"Matthew?" Ethan asked.

"Pa?"

"It's good to see you, boy!" Ethan reached out to embrace him but Matthew stepped away. Ethan understood and peered inside. "This looks like a clinic. I need to see the doctor."

"Well, she's out on her honeymoon. She ain't here," Matthew replied coldly.

"Is there someone here who can sew up this nasty cut?" Ethan asked, showing his eldest son the wound. Matthew swallowed hard and nodded, reluctantly letting him in, knowing that Dr. Mike would never refuse a patient.

"Colleen! Come down here for a minute!" They heard footsteps coming down the stairs and a moment later, Colleen saw her father for the first time in years."

"Pa!" she exclaimed. She didn't look happy, but she was surprised.

"Hello Colleen."

"What are you doin' here?"

"I came back for you kids and your ma." Matthew shook his head.

"Why now? It's been years, pa," Matthew said angrily.

"I went lookin' for work and I found it in San Francisco."

"He has a nasty cut on his hand. You've been watchin' Dr. Mike stitch folks up. You think you can do it?" Matthew asked. Colleen nodded and went to get the proper materials for the small procedure.

"Where is your ma?" Ethan asked.

"I know she has a boardin' house around these parts, but I ain't got the best of memories."

"Obviously not. You didn't write," Matthew replied.

"I can't read, son," Ethan replied. Matthew didn't care. He could have paid someone to write his words down. The door flew open and Brian came running out.

"Who was, it?" he asked. As soon as he saw Ethan, he stopped in his tracks. He vaguely remembered what his father looked like, and he knew this man was Ethan Cooper.

"Pa?"

"Brian? Boy you've grown!" Ethan said with a chuckle. Brian looked up at his older brother who looked none to happy to see the man.

"What are you doin' here? Are you here because ma's sick?"

"Brian!" Matthew exclaimed under his breath.

"Your ma's sick?" Ethan asked, swallowing hard. Matthew sighed and nodded.

"Cancer," he replied.

"You wanna see her? She's upstairs," Brian pointed out. Ethan looked up and Matthew sighed heavily, knowing that he'd have to talk to his little brother later.

"I might just do that," Ethan replied. Colleen came back over to work on her father's hand. She tried to be gentle, but she didn't worry too much when her work made her father wince in pain.

Once she was finished she held her hand out to him.

"What?" he asked.

"Two dollars, please," she replied. Ethan looked at Matthew who had a smirk on his face.

"Come on, pa," Matthew said quietly. "You should have some money if you said you found it. Plus, you did run off with ma's money sock."

"I'm not proud of that, Matthew."

"Well, you didn't seem too worried about it when you left in the middle of the night without sayin' goodbye, did ya?"

"What on earth is going on down here?" Elizabeth asked as she and Josef walked into the room.

"Mornin' ma'am," Ethan said, tipping his hat. "The name's Ethan Cooper." Elizabeth looked at the children. Matthew swallowed hard.

"He's our pa."

_"Sully?" Michaela sat up in an empty bed to find Sully's side of the bed crumpled and unmade. The door opened and Sully walked in holding a beautiful baby in his arms._

_"Did she wake ya with her cryin'?" Sully asked._

_"No," Michaela replied softly. "Is she hungry?"_

_"Nah, she just wanted some holdin'," Sully replied. Michaela reached out to take her daughter into her arms. The baby grinned as her mother rocked her back and forth. A baby began to cry, and Michaela looked down to see her little girl dozing off to sleep. "He's awake." Sully left the room and came in with another infant._

_"Twins, Sully. I still can't believe it," she whispered._

_"Neither can I," Sully replied. He got into bed next to Michaela and the two shared a wonderful moment with their newborn children._

Michaela opened her eyes to find the sunlight filtering into the room. She squinted and let her eyes slowly adjust to the light. She looked up to see that Sully was sleeping. She didn't think either of them would manage to get a moment of sleep, but somehow they managed to. Michaela grinned and slowly crept out of bed. She was bound and determined to attempt to cook breakfast for her new husband, and bring him breakfast in bed. She pulled her bathrobe on and started towards the door. She felt a tug on her robe and was surprised when it fell completely off. Michaela turned, her face completely red as she stood without a trace of clothes. Sully looked mighty pleased with himself.

"Sully!" She pulled a sheet over herself as Sully tossed her bathrobe to the other side of the room.

"Where were ya goin'?"

"I was going to surprise you with breakfast in bed," she replied.

"You're kiddin'?" Sully asked.

"I'm not that bad at cooking am I?" Michaela asked.

"I don't wanna lie, Michaela. You're horrible," Sully replied. Michaela tossed a pillow at him and they both began to laugh.

"I suppose you're right. I'll have to have Grace give me some cooking lessons."

"Well, just so ya know, I ain't gonna be expectin' a big breakfast on the table in the mornin' or a big dinner on the table at night. What I'm expectin' is to wake up with my bride in my arms and come home to hold her in my arms at night."

"I think I can handle that," Michaela replied. "But we do need to eat to keep our strength up." She found herself blushing at her own words, and Sully kissed her.

"I'll cook us up somethin' for breakfast."

"You can cook?"

"Well, I ain't the best, but I learned how to cook some stuff at minin' camp. I had to eat somethin' to survive." Michaela laughed and she and Sully got out of bed. Michaela went to put her robe on and Sully looked at her strangely. "What?"

"You think someone's gonna come in or somethin'?"

"No. It's just that I don't think it's proper to walk about the house wearing nothing." Sully chuckled and pulled his pants on. He gave Michaela a kiss on the cheek before he left the room. Michaela shook her head, her face still flushed. She quickly pulled on her robe and hurried to join her husband downstairs.

"You did a mighty fine job of stitchin' me up, Colleen," Ethan said, examining his daughter's work. "But stitchin' people up won't come in handy very often when you're writin' books."

"If you had been here, you'd know that Colleen don't wanna be a writer. She wanted to be an actress."

"Now I wanna be a doctor," Colleen replied.

"Where were ya, pa?"

"I was in California lookin' for a job."

"It sure took ya long enough to find one," Matthew snapped. Josef and Elizabeth were watching the scene, and they decided to go upstairs to give the broken family a bit of privacy. They walked upstairs to where their daughters were waiting with Charlotte. Charlotte had gotten out of bed to come into the hall.

"Charlotte, you should be resting," Elizabeth scolded.

"What's going on down there?" Elizabeth and Josef looked at one another again.

"Just get back in bed. The children will explain later." Charlotte looked quite confused, but she was too weak and tired to argue. She went back to bed and the Quinn sisters looked at their parents.

"What is going on down there?" Marjorie asked.

"The children's father is here."

"Their father is alive? But people call her Widow Cooper," Claudette pointed out.

"Shh," Josef warned. "Let's just stay quiet and let them work things out for themselves."

Downstairs, the children were standing with their father. They had grown quiet over the last few minutes. Both Colleen and Brian were angry with their father, but Brian wasn't quite sure how to feel. He was too young to really understand how awful Ethan had been to their family.

"I'd like to see your mother."

"Why? You ran out on us. Why are you even here?"

"Because I want to take you kids and your mother back to San Francisco. I want to get her to a proper medical facility."

"Dr. Mike's takin' good care of her."

"First of all, she's a lady doctor, and second of all, she's not here."

"Dr. Mike's a real good doctor!" Brian exclaimed. "You don't even know her!"

"It's alright, Brian," Colleen whispered, putting her hands on her little brother's shoulders.

"But I don't wanna leave Colorado Springs!" Brian exclaimed.

"Shh!" Matthew scolded.

"At least let me go upstairs and talk to your ma."

"She won't want to see you."

"Well at least let me try to talk with her." Matthew looked at Colleen and Brian, knowing he should kick the man out into the cold snow, but he knew that Charlotte would be angry if she found out Ethan was there and was never informed. "She ain't strong enough to deal with you right now, but I'll tell her you're here." Matthew and the children went upstairs. Colleen and Brian were following mostly because they didn't want to be left alone with the man who had abandoned them.

Matthew walked into Charlotte's room while everyone waited in the hall. Charlotte saw the pale face of her son and she knew something was wrong.

"Matthew? Sweetheart, what is it? What's going on?"

"Pa's here." Charlotte's eyes grew wide and she felt as though she had been punched in the stomach.

"Ethan is here?"

"He's out in the hall. He wants to come see you. I figured I wouldn't kick him out until I told you he was here."

"Let him in."

"What?" Matthew asked. "Ma!"

"Matthew Cooper, you heard me. I said let him in." Matthew took a deep breath and nodded. He walked out into the hallway and nodded in his father's direction. Ethan started toward the room but Matthew put a hand on his chest. He whispered so the kids wouldn't hear.

"If you upset her, I'll make you wish you never came back." Ethan turned to look at him for a moment before he walked into Charlotte's room, seeing her for the first time in several years.


	3. Ethan's Visit

**Chapter 3: Ethan's Visit**

"Ethan," Charlotte whispered from her bed. Ethan stood in the doorway, and slowly made his way inside, closing the door behind him. "What are you doin' here?"

"I didn't know you were sick until just a few minutes ago," Ethan replied quietly, sitting down at her bedside. "Brian told me."

"Well, you haven't answered my question yet."

"I came to bring you and the kids to San Francisco." Charlotte let out a dry laugh.

"I'm dyin' Ethan. I ain't in any condition to be goin' to San Francisco, least wise with you."

"I know what I did was wrong."

"Wrong? You call skippin' out on your family in the middle of the night, leavin' us with no money 'wrong?' Ethan Cooper, what you did was unforgivable! You expected me to raise three children on my own. I did it, no thanks to you. Do you realize that your family don't even have a home? I used to own this buildin', but I couldn't afford it. The doc was kind enough to keep me here to rest. The kids stay here with me too, but we ain't got a place."

"You have one now," Ethan replied. He reached for her hand, brought it to his lips, and placed a kiss there. Charlotte sighed heavily, tears brimming in her eyes.

"You ain't a part of this family anymore."

"Those kids are mine, and you are my wife. We're still a family."

"I ain't seen or heard from ya in years! Where were ya when Brian learned how to read? Huh? Where were ya when Matthew got his first kiss, or when Colleen got her first crush?"

"I was makin' money for our family."

"I don't believe you, Ethan!" Charlotte exclaimed. "Why did you just leave without an explanation?"

"Because I didn't want to see the look on your face when I told you I was leavin'."

"Well you should have seen the look on my face when I found out you were gone. Why don't ya ask the kids? They remember." Ethan looked away. "No! You look at me, Ethan Cooper!" Ethan turned to look at her again. "I'm dyin', Ethan."

"At least let me stay with you, and I'll take the children back to San Francisco with me." A look of horror came over Charlotte's face.

"No!" she exclaimed. "Tell me why you came here. I know it's for money."

"You've got me wrong, Charlotte."

"Do I? Don't lie to a dyin' woman. You remember than I'm goin' to see God soon, and he knows whether or not you're lyin'."

"I do care about you, Charlotte. I feel bad about leavin' you and the children. Truth is, I really was comin' to see you and the kids. I really was going to bring you back to San Francisco."

"Why?"

"I found out that my pa left me a great sum of money when he died years back. I can't get that money unless I've got my family with me."

"Money, I told ya," Charlotte said with a laugh.

"Charlotte, I really do love ya."

"Don't try to sugar-coat it, Ethan. You ain't takin' my children to San Francisco."

"Who's gonna look after 'em when you . . ."

"I've got 'em a home. I've already sent to Denver for the adoption papers. They're in this desk drawer, and as soon as I go, Dr. Mike and Sully are gonna send 'em in. They already got my signature, so that's what counts."

"You can't do this, Charlotte. Those kids need me! I'm their pa!"

"They've done just fine without ya for the past few years. Dr. Mike and Sully are good people, and they'll be good parents."

"How well do you know them?"

"A lot better than I ever knew you," Charlotte replied. "Those children deserve a lot better than you, Ethan. I could care less if I ever saw your face again." Ethan stood and stared down at Charlotte.

"I'll change your mind. I'll prove to you that those kids need me." He walked out of the room and into the hallway. The only people in the hall now were the children. Luckily they hadn't heard anything he said about needing them because of money. "I'll be downstairs." Ethan walked downstairs while the children hurried in to be with their mother.

"Ma? Are you alright?" Colleen asked. The children gathered 'round her bedside. Charlotte sniffled and wiped her tears.

"I'm much better now that the three of you are here. I need to talk to you."

"About what?" Brian asked. Charlotte sat up a little and showed the children the papers she was holding in her hands. Matthew took them.

"These are adoption papers," Matthew whispered, swallowing hard.

"Adoption?" Brian asked.

"I've been meanin' to tell ya. I've been talkin' it over with Dr. Mike and Sully for months," she began. "I want to make sure that you children have a permanent home. I want you to have two parents that are legally your parents. Do you understand?"

"I'm not sure," Colleen replied.

"Well," Charlotte said, taking her daughter's hand, "I know that you'll be livin' with them once I pass on, but I want to make sure that in case, heaven forbid, something happens to one of them, you'll still have a good home. That's why I've signed my consent to let Dr. Mike and Sully adopt you once I'm gone."

"Ma," Colleen whispered, her lower lip trembling. Charlotte smiled at her little girl reassuringly.

"Dr. Mike and Sully are willing and would love to have you as their children, but they won't do it if you don't want them to."

"What happens if they don't adopt us?" Brian asked.

"Does that matter?" Charlotte asked, swallowing hard.

"No. I love Dr. Mike and Sully," Brian replied.

"Me too," Colleen replied. Matthew nodded.

"Same here. They'll be good to us, but they'll never replace you, ma." Charlotte smiled happily.

"I know that we've talked about this a little, and you are going to need a mother and father. I just want you to know that I wouldn't mind at all, in fact, I would be happy if you called them ma and pa."

"You just want us to forget about you?" Colleen asked.

"No," Charlotte replied. "You'll never forget me because we're connected. But I don't want you to feel like you're betrayin' me by wantin' to have someone to call ma and pa."

"I don't want to go to San Francisco with pa," Brian said softly. Charlotte touched her son's face.

"I don't want you to do anything you don't want to do. But if ya'll want to go with your pa, I won't stop you."

"I don't want to go either," Colleen replied.

"Me neither," Matthew agreed. "Have Dr. Mike and Sully sign the papers. We'll send them in."

"We have somethin' special here," Charlotte whispered. "Not all families get this long to say goodbye to someone."

"It ain't any easier," Colleen pointed out.

"No," Charlotte replied, "but we all know that it's gonna happen and that when it does, you'll have a place to call home." The children all hugged their mother, knowing that she was growing weaker by the day and that they wouldn't have much time left with her, so they decided to spend the time they had left with her, and hope that she would be around longer than they expected.

Michaela sat on the floor in the living room of the house. Sully had put a blanket down on the floor so they could sit beside the fire and talk. They had had breakfast, and Sully was cleaning the dishes, telling Michaela that he didn't want her lifting a finger on their honeymoon.

For now, Michaela was sipping on a cup of hot tea which seemed to warm her to her very core. She had her robe tied tightly around her body, blocking the cool air that hovered in the room. She could hear the dishes clanging together in the water basin. Unfortunately the water pump was frozen, so Sully had to go outside, collect snow in a bucket, and bring it inside to melt over the fire for dishwater. Michaela knew that if there was ever an emergency that wasn't medical, Sully would know what to do in order to survive. That gave her a feeling of security for sure.

Michaela relaxed and thought about the dream she had had earlier. She had been having a lot of dreams lately, but the one that stood out to her the most was the dream she had just had about twins. She smiled, oblivious that Sully was walking into the room. He noticed the smile on her face and sat down beside her on the blanket.

"What are ya thinkin' about?" Michaela put her cup of tea down, realizing that Sully's arms were wrapping around her.

"I was just thinking about a dream I had."

"Oh?"

"I had a dream we were holding our babies."

"Babies?"

"Twins," Michaela replied with a nod. Sully smiled.

"Twins, huh?"

"Sully, does this mean something? We've both been dreaming of babies."

"Maybe it's a sign that we'll be blessed sooner than we think."

"Maybe," Michaela replied. She smiled and stretched out, lying on her stomach on the floor. She turned her head to face Sully, and rested it on her folded arms. Sully smiled and straddled Michaela's legs. He began to massage her back through the material of the robe, and she moaned a bit at the wonderful feeling. Sully leaned down as he rubbed her back and kissed her neck softly. She smiled and bit her lip, pulling her upper half up a bit and removing her arms from the sleeves. Sully pulled the robe off of his wife so she was lying naked beneath him. His hands massaged her shoulders, her back, and traveled lower to massage her lower back, right above her bottom.

"How are ya feelin'?"

"To tell you the truth, I haven't been this relaxed in a long time," Michaela replied. "You're amazing with your hands." Sully smiled and began to massage her upper back again. As he was doing so, he pressed kissing all the way down along her spine. Michaela felt a heat beginning to rise inside of her, and she knew that she would never be able to get enough of this man. "Sully?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm not sure if this will ever get old."

"It won't," Sully promised. Michaela blushed as the heat began to rise to an almost unbearable level.

"But what happens if it becomes all I ever want to do?" Michaela asked.

"Would that be so bad?" Sully asked. Michaela laughed.

"In the long run, yes it would be. I have work to do, and I'm going to have three children to raise."

"Well, for now, we've got the week to be alone together."

"I'm sure I won't grow tired of all of this in a week," Michaela replied. Sully laughed again. He moved so she could sit up, and they sat facing each other. He couldn't help but soak in the beautiful vision of Michaela's body in front of him. "Sully, I feel like we know each other . . ."

"We do know each other."

"I mean, completely. I feel like you're the only person in this whole world who knows me. Sometimes that's scary because it's like you know me better than I do." Sully took Michaela's hands in his and brought them to his chest.

"You know my heart," he replied. "And I feel like I know yours. That's why we're so good together, Michaela. We complete each other like we're part of some big puzzle." Michaela's eyes twinkled in the firelight, and Sully had to lean in to kiss her. He couldn't resist those soft lips.

"You know my heart," she whispered. "You know every part of me now."

"Bein' married must agree with us," Sully said with a chuckle.

"I believe it does," she said with a nod. Sully stood and pulled his wife into his arms.

"C'mon."

"Sully, I'm cold."

"That's why we're goin' to bed. I'll warm ya right up." Michaela laughed as Sully scooped her up and took her back up to bed where they could forget about all of their worries and cares and just be happy with one another.

Michaela woke alone in the middle of the afternoon. She was disappointed to find that Sully wasn't there. She wanted to wake up to his touch and his kisses. However, she did find rose petals on her pillow. She sat up and found a trail of petals leading out of the room. She smiled and pulled her robe on in case of a draft, and followed the trail to a room Sully had put in which he had designated as a washing room.

She opened the door and found Sully sitting at the side of a washing tub. It was brand new and Michaela had had no idea he had even purchased one. Michaela could see that the water in the tub was steaming and Sully had put soap in it to make it bubble up.

"I figured you could use a relaxin' bath," Sully said with a smile. He was sitting there in a towel. Michaela bit her bottom lip.

"You drew a bath just for me?"

"Mhm," Sully replied with a smile. "Fresh hot water and some of your favorite soap."

"That sounds wonderful," Michaela replied. She slipped out of her robe and stepped into the hot water. She sunk down into the tub, pulling her long hair up so it wouldn't get wet. Sully walked over to stand behind the tub. He grabbed a pitcher of warm water.

"Lean your head back," he said with a smile. Michaela closed her eyes and did as Sully said. He poured the water over her hair and used some of her fancy soap to later the beautiful golden brown strands. The way Sully's fingers massaged her scalp made her desire for him begin to surface again. She bit her bottom lip as he poured more water over it, rinsing the soap out. Once her hair was washed, he began to rub her shoulders, bending down to kiss her warm, wet skin.

"How do ya feel?"

"Mmm, better than ever," Michaela whispered. "But do you know what would make me feel even better?" Sully came around to stand in front of the tub. Michaela reached her hand out to him and laced her fingers with his.

"What's that?" Michaela got a gleam in her eyes, and she pulled Sully into the tub with her. He fell into the small tub with a big splash. Michaela began to laugh and Sully looked up at her with a soap covered face, and she scooted over to gently wipe the suds away. "I'm sorry! I didn't hurt you did I?"

"No."  
"Do you feel alright?" she asked. Sully grinned at her and gave her a big soapy kiss.

"I'm feelin' better than ever."


	4. Welcome Back

**Chapter 4: Welcome Back**

It had to end sometime. The honeymoon hadn't ended, but the week of privacy sure had. The newlyweds couldn't believe how fast time had gone by, and when they woke up at dawn, they didn't want to get out of bed. Although the snow had pretty much melted away, it was freezing again and their bedroom was warm, and they were even warmer while wrapped in each other's arms.

Sully knew Michaela didn't want to wake, but he could tell by her breathing that she was awake and not opening her eyes. He smiled and ran his hand up her leg under the blanket and kissed her bare shoulders and neck. She smiled and opened her eyes, turning to look at her husband.

"Is it really over?"

"It'll never be over," he replied. "But unfortunately a week has passed and we have to leave the house." Michaela groaned and wished she could stay in bed an extra hour with her husband. It was so very tempting, but she knew that she had to get to the clinic and check on Charlotte. Sully's lips claimed Michaela's in a soft kiss, and when he pulled away, he left her wanting more.

"I just want to stay here and be with you," Michaela whispered. Sully smiled and kissed the tip of her nose.

"We gotta go out there sometime, or they're liable to send a search party lookin' for us." Michaela nodded thoughtfully.

"I suppose," she replied with a heavy sigh. Sully smiled at her and climbed out of bed. He pulled on his pants and his shirt. Next he put on the beaded necklace that Michaela had made for him. She beamed every time he wore it, because he wore it proudly. Michaela pulled the warm covers off of her and dressed quickly. She hadn't really had much use for her clothes over the past week, and now it was going to drive her crazy being confined in them while keeping her mind on her husband all day.

Sully went out to hitch up the wagon while Michaela sat down at her vanity mirror. She began running a brush through her hair. She smiled, thinking about the time Sully washed her hair. That had been a wonderful experience! She shivered, thinking about how warm his touch had been. It had sent shivers through every part of her body, something nobody had ever been able to do to her before. Being with Sully woke up emotions she never dared to let herself feel or express. She loved the person that she was when she was with her husband. He brought out the best in her, and she liked to think that she brought out the best in him.

"Michaela?" she heard him call from downstairs.

"I'm almost ready!" she called down. The simplest thing as saying her name could send her a memory of pleasure; Sully crying her name out in the midst of passion. She quickly braided her hair and tied it off at the end. With a last look in the mirror, she grabbed her medical bag and walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs. Sully was waiting with his coat on and Michaela's coat in his arms. He helped her into it and helped her fasten it up. His eyes stayed on hers the whole time, and she felt as if her knees were made of water. She started to believe that if Sully continued to stare at her in that way, she'd melt in a puddle on the floor. He leaned in and kissed her with a promise of a wonderful reunion later that night.

"We best get into town," he whispered when they pulled away. Michaela nodded and they walked out of the homestead hand in hand.

Ethan Cooper walked into the mercantile. Loren was standing at the counter reading the Denver newspaper that had arrived with the stagecoach earlier that morning when the man came in. He gave him a disapproving look, knowing all too well what he had done to Charlotte. The only thing he was thinking now was when Ethan Cooper was going to leave town for good. Hank had been kind enough to set Ethan up with a room when Charlotte refused to let him stay at the clinic. He had come to Loren next who said that those rooms were for the children and Dorothy. Ethan's last resort had been Hank, who wasn't too keen on letting a man who abandoned his kids stay with him. But when Ethan waved ten dollars under his nose, Hank miraculously changed his tune.

"Good morning, Mr. Bray," Ethan said with a gentleman's smile. Loren didn't buy it.

"What can I do for ya?"

"I'd like to buy some candy for my youngest boy," Ethan replied. Loran knew all too well what Ethan was doing. He was trying to win over Brian. How could this man be going against Charlotte's wishes? The poor woman was on the brink of death and all this man cared about was money. Nobody had come right out and said it, but Loren knew. He could see it in Ethan's eyes. "Do you have any licorice?"

"Sure do. But that ain't Brian's favorite."

"Sure it is. I think I know what kind of candy my own son likes."

"Maybe it was before you left, but it ain't now." Ethan had a frustrated look about him and it amused Loren, but he kept a straight face.

"What's his favorite kind, then?" Ethan asked.

"Gumdrops and taffy."

"I'll take some gumdrops and taffy."

"We're all out." Loren knew darned well that he had a fresh supply of those things in the back, but he wasn't going to let Ethan try to win the children over by sweets and presents. He did make a mental note to slip Brian some candy later while nobody was looking.

"I'll just take some tobacco then," Ethan replied through clenched teeth. Loren nodded and grabbed a package of tobacco, wrapping it up for the man. Ethan left as Horace and Myra walked into the mercantile.

"That man ain't gonna take Charlotte's kids is he?" Myra asked.

"Nope. Charlotte's lettin' Dr. Mike and Sully adopt 'em. And if he tries to take 'em anyway, there'll be a whole town there to stop him."

Sully helped Michaela out of the wagon as soon as they arrived in town. He handed her the medical bag and gave her a kiss on the cheek. The two newlyweds kissed again, softly on the lips, and pulled one another into a warm embrace.

"I don't want to spend the day without you," Michaela whispered.

"I'll come back around noon, alright? I gotta go check my traps."

"Be careful," Michaela said with a worried look in her eyes.

"You don't have to worry 'bout me." He kissed her again and their noses rubbed a little. "I love you."

"I love you." The door to the clinic flew open and the Cooper kids came running out.

"Dr. Mike!" Colleen exclaimed.

"You're back!" Brian called. Brian jumped up and Sully pulled the boy into his arms.

"Hey Brian," he said with a laugh as Colleen hugged Michaela. Matthew greeted Sully with a handshake and hugged Dr. Mike. Everyone was very glad to see one another, but Michaela still wished that she and Sully were back home in the warmth and quiet of their bedroom.

"Are you back for good?" Brian asked.

"Yes," Michaela replied. Sully laughed as Brian squirmed. He put the boy down and Michaela bent down a little. "Did you behave for your mother?"

"We kept him in line," Matthew replied with a laugh.

"You're gonna be our new ma," Brian said. "Ma told us you and Sully are gonna adopt us."

"She talked to you about that?" Sully asked with surprise.

"She said she figured we'd want to know," Colleen replied with a nod.

"Is it alright with the three of you?"

"We talked about it," Matthew replied with a nod. "We think it's a good idea."  
"But you gotta sign the papers and send 'em in before pa takes us away."

"What?" Sully asked, glancing at Michaela who also looked concerned.

"Our pa came back and he wants to take us to San Francisco. But ma already told him that you two are gonna adopt us," Matthew explained. Michaela swallowed hard, the feelings she felt for a man she never met boiled up inside of her, leaving a disgusting taste in her mouth. The things that Charlotte had told her chilled her to the very core, and she knew that she couldn't let Ethan Cooper take those children. She also knew she couldn't alienate the children and speak ill of their father.

"Children, why don't you go see Mr. Bray and pick up some supplies?" Michaela suggested.

"Do you need anything for the clinic?" Colleen asked.

"Yes, could you pick up some new sheets?"

"Sure," Colleen replied.

"Colleen sewed up pa's hand. She did a real good job," Brian said with a smile. Michaela grinned proudly at Colleen.

"Colleen?"

"I didn't think it was worth mentionin'."

"I'm proud of you," Michaela said with a smile. She hugged the girl and Colleen blushed and felt very proud of herself. She took her little brother's hand and the three Cooper children went to the mercantile. Michaela and Sully turned to one another.

"Ethan Cooper," Michaela whispered under her breath.

"He ain't gonna take the kids. Charlotte's already got the adoption papers ready."

"But he's interested in money, and I know I shouldn't judge people without getting to know them first, but I've heard everything I need to know about this man. He left Charlotte and those children, taking all of their money along with him. How am I supposed to trust that he's going to bow out quietly?"

"I'll keep an eye on him." Michaela nodded and Sully gave her a reassuring kiss.

"I'm going to go speak with Charlotte." Michaela walked into the clinic to find her mother folding blankets.

"Michaela! Welcome back!"

"Thank you, mother," Michaela replied with a smile. She and her mother hugged warmly, and Michaela felt so happy to be able to feel close to her mother.

"You just missed it. Your sisters left on the stagecoach earlier this morning."

"Oh," Michaela replied with a disappointed frown.

"It's alright, they've promised to send word as soon as they arrive back home."

"Are you and father planning on staying long?"

"Are you trying to get rid of us?"

"No!"

"Well, your father and I were hoping to stay an extra week. We've grown so close to the children, and with that Ethan Cooper fellow here, I'd feel better if we were here to spend time with them."

"That's very thoughtful of you," Michaela replied with a smile. "Um, how is Charlotte doing?"

"She's doing well. I prepared breakfast for her, and she's upstairs eating right now."

"Thank you," Michaela replied with a smile. "I'm going to go up to see her." Elizabeth nodded and Michaela started up the stairs. She made her way to Charlotte's room and found the woman sitting in bed with a full tray at her bedside.

"Dr. Mike!" Charlotte said with a relieved grin on her face. "Welcome back."

"Thank you," Michaela replied with a grin and a nod. "You're not eating?"

"I ain't feelin' up to it," Charlotte replied with a sigh.

"You should try to eat."

"There ya go tryin' to be a doctor to me again. I just want ya to be my friend."

"If you haven't noticed, I've been your doctor for the past couple of months. Just try to eat something. For me?"

"I've tried, Dr. Mike," Charlotte replied. "Honest I have. I just can't seem to keep anything down. My nerves are about shot."

"Because of Ethan?"

"You know, huh?"

"The children informed me."

"Dr. Mike, I need you to do me a favor."

"Anything," Michaela said with a nod.

"I want you and Sully to sign the adoption papers and send them in."

"Charlotte, I don't feel like that's appropriate. It's not time."

"Dr. Mike, I've been holdin' on all week," Charlotte admitted. "Sometimes I feel like I'm fightin' God by keepin' alive. My body's weak and I ain't even able to get outta bed to come see my children. They come in to see me."

"Charlotte, you could still have a lot more time left," Michaela whispered. "Don't give up."  
"I've been holdin' on," Charlotte repeated. "I can't do it much longer."

"Of course you can!" Michaela urged. Charlotte gave her friend a tired smile and shook her head.

"I know you wanna believe that," Charlotte whispered. "But I know my time's comin'. I can feel it." Tears began to fall from Michaela's eyes. "Don't go cryin' over me. You knew this was comin'."

"It doesn't make it any easier," Michaela replied, wiping the tears from her eyes. Charlotte weakly took Michaela's hand in hers and squeezed it as best she could.

"Just promise me that you'll get those papers signed and sent in before Ethan can take off with my children." Michaela swallowed hard. "Promise me!"

"I promise," Michaela whispered. A serene smile replaced a worried frown on Charlotte's face as she slowly drifted off to sleep. Michaela left her friend's bedside, picking up the adoption papers and taking them with her. She was greeted by an empty exam room, so she sat down at her desk and looked at the bottom of the document.

The line beside the X was for the adopting parents to sign. Michaela took a deep breath and signed Michaela Quinn on the line. She looked at her name and began to wonder if perhaps she should have taken Sully's name. Dr. Michaela Sully didn't have a bad ring to it at all, and the townsfolk called her Dr. Mike anyway. Michaela was snapped out of her thoughts when the door opened and a tall, older gentleman walked in and tipped his gray top hat.

"Mornin' ma'am," he said with a smile. Michaela glanced at his bandaged hand, and she knew who he was. Ethan Cooper.

"Mr. Cooper?"

"I don't believe we've met." Michaela stood as Ethan extended a hand to her. She didn't take it.

"I'm Dr. Michaela Quinn." Ethan nodded and a look of realization crossed his face.

"You're the woman who's takin' my kids away."


	5. First Impressions

**Chapter 5: First Impressions**

Michaela stared at Ethan Cooper for a long moment before she swallowed hard and looked over at the adoption papers on her desk. She looked back at Ethan who had his hat in his hand now as he stared the doctor down.

"I believe you have it wrong, Mr. Cooper."

"Oh? Please tell me what part of that I got wrong."

"I'm not taking your children away. I'm going to raise them at Charlotte's request. My husband and I will give them a wonderful home where they will never need for anything. We will keep them healthy, safe, and happy. From what I understand, that's a lot more than you were ever able to give them."

"You don't even know me, Ms. Quinn."

"That's Dr. Quinn," Michaela replied, her heart pounding as the anger rose inside of her. Ethan saw the fire in Michaela's eyes and he chuckled a bit. Michaela wondered what he was pondering, and she took the adoption papers into her hands.

"I believe that's a matter of opinion. Those papers are nothing compared to blood. I am their father, and by right, they will come with me."

"You gave up your rights as a father when you abandoned your wife and children to go looking for money. I'm sure you never intended to return. But once you arrived and found out Charlotte was returning, you discovered that it was your big opportunity to break your children's hearts all over again."

"You've got me all wrong." He knew for a fact that she was right, but there was no way in Hell that he would ever admit that aloud.

"My father always told me not to judge people without getting to know them first. But Charlotte is the most honest person I know, and I can see that her opinion of you is based on a lot of truth." Before Michaela could go any further in her description of Ethan Cooper, the door opened and Matthew, Brian, and Colleen walked in. Matthew saw his father and he looked at Dr. Mike who's face was about as pale as the new sheets Colleen had picked up for her.

"Pa, you better leave," Matthew said angrily. "You shouldn't be here." Ethan turned to look at his children. Colleen put a protective arm around Brian. Ethan could tell he wasn't wanted, so he decided to leave. But he had made up his mind that he wasn't going to give up so easily. As soon as Ethan had left and shut the door loudly behind himself, the children turned back to Michaela. "Did he upset you?"

"I'm fine," Michaela said with a reassuring smile.

"Why does he gotta try to talk everyone out of lettin' us stay here? You ain't gonna let him take us to San Francisco, are ya Dr. Mike?" Brian asked. Michaela knelt down and smiled at Brian.

"I've already signed the adoption papers. Sully's going to sign them as soon as he gets back."

"Really?" Colleen asked with a smile.

"Really," Michaela replied with a nod.

"So that'll make it official? We won't have to live with pa?" Matthew asked, just to make sure.

"If you don't want to live with Ethan, you don't have to. Once Sully signs these papers and we send them in, the paperwork will be processed and hopefully we'll hear good news."

"How's ma?" Colleen asked. Michaela swallowed hard, her throat feeling dry and her heart starting to ache.

"She's getting weaker. You should go sit with her," Michaela said. "I'm not sure how long she's going to be able to hold on." Colleen and Matthew started toward the door but Brian lingered. "Brian?"

"Come with us," he whispered. "You're family too." He held his hand out to her. Tears began to fall and Michaela couldn't hide them. She simply took the little boy's hand and led him upstairs after his older brother and sister. They crowded in Charlotte's room where her breathing had become more shallow. Michaela could see that Charlotte was slipping away. Elizabeth walked into the room, not wanting to intrude, but Michaela was glad she was there.

"Mother," Michaela said softly. "Would you please go get Reverend Johnson?" Elizabeth looked around the room at the faces of the broken-hearted children. She simply nodded and turned out of the room. Colleen began to cry when she saw that the color was draining from her mother's face.

"Ma!" she exclaimed. She laid herself across her mother. Charlotte's hand gently moved up to rub her daughter's back.

"Don't cry, sweet heart," she whispered. Colleen looked up into her mother's eyes and she shook her head.

"You can't leave, ma," she cried. "I need you! We all do!"

"You're gonna have a good life with Dr. Mike. I'll be watchin' over you, smilin' proudly everyday." Brian sniffled and the tears began to form in his eyes. Michaela put a hand on his shoulder and Charlotte smiled up at the both of them.

"Dr. Mike, you're going to be a good ma. They love you so much, and I know you love them."

"You're right. I do."

"Come here, Brian," Charlotte said with a smile. Brian climbed up onto the bed with his mother. "You're my youngest, Brian, and someday we'll be together again. I want you to start mindin' what Dr. Mike says. That goes for all of you."

"I will, ma," Brian replied, sobbing softly into his hands.

"I love you, Brian."

"I love you too, ma." Matthew walked over to give his mother a kiss on the cheek.

"I know you're fifteen, Matthew, and you think you get to be the man of the house," Charlotte began, "but you need to mind Dr. Mike and Sully. Do you hear me?" Matthew brushed the tears out of his eyes and nodded.

"I understand," he replied. "Ma, you have to fight!"

"It's my time, sweet heart," Charlotte replied. Michaela was trying not to sob for the children's sake. She was biting on her bottom lip to keep from crying out. She couldn't break down because the children needed her. "I love you all so much." The Reverend came into the room with his Bible in his hand.

"Charlotte," he whispered.

"It's good to see you, Reverend," Charlotte whispered back. Matthew made room for the Reverend to sit at Charlotte's side. The Reverend took the dying woman's hand in his own and began to pray. Brian began to sob and Matthew picked him up. The boy clung to his older brother and Colleen put her arms around him as well. Michaela stood next to the children, watching them grieve over the imminent passing of their mother. The only thing she could do was walk over to them and over a comforting shoulder. She expected them to draw away, but they did the exact opposite. They all clung to her, holding her as if they were holding on for dear life. They all began to cry together, even Michaela as Charlotte looked upon them with relief, exhaled her last breath, and passed on peacefully and painlessly.

The next afternoon, friends and loved ones of Charlotte Cooper gathered at Michaela and Sully's homestead. Michaela was worried that when Charlotte passed, the children would pull away from her and Sully and refuse to live with them. But they hadn't, and they were very appreciative for what Michaela and Sully were doing for them.

Ethan had been at Charlotte's funeral, and the children hadn't dared to look him in the eyes. After the service, Sully had picked up and walked with him with Michaela, Matthew, and Colleen.

The town was devastated at the passing of Widow Cooper, but they all knew it was going to happen eventually.

Brian was sitting on the staircase with Sully's Wolf at his feet. Wolf hadn't left Brian's side since he arrived at the house the day before. He sensed that the boy needed a friend, so Sully hadn't minded when his loyal Wolf had decided to keep the young boy company.

Colleen was helping Grace in the kitchen while Matthew was staring out the front window. He had helped Sully a many times with the house, and he had known that he would be living in it one day, but never once did he think about how hard this day was going to be.

Ingrid walked up behind Matthew and put her hand on his shoulder.

"I wish I knew her," she said softly. Matthew turned around and drew Ingrid into his arms.

"She would have loved you. I'm sorry I didn't get to introduce the two of you."

"That is alright. She in Heaven with my mother." Matthew kissed the top of Ingrid's head. Ingrid's English was improving more and more every day, and he found it endearing that she was trying so hard for his sake. Ingrid had been at his side since Matthew had left the boarding house after Charlotte's passing. When the townsfolk had seen Elizabeth Quinn hurrying across town with the Reverend, they knew that Charlotte was passing. They had all gathered to await the news they had all expected. The only person that wasn't there was Ethan, and he didn't find out until later that evening.

The children were angry with Ethan and growing attached to Michaela and Sully. After Charlotte's passing, Sully arrived in town, even before Ethan Cooper heard the news, and he had signed the papers. Matthew had hand delivered the papers to Horace to send in, because he knew there was no way he wanted his pa to take them to San Francisco.

Michaela was standing at the kitchen window with Sully's arms wrapped around her, as Grace, Myra and Colleen prepared the food. The ladies had told Colleen she didn't have to help, but she wanted to do something to keep her mind off of the day's events.

The front door had been opening and shutting, bringing in the freezing January air with those coming and going. Nobody had figured that the New Year would start with a death of a loved one. But, that was life, and they had to expect the unexpected.

After awhile, guests started to leave, but the door opened bringing in air with an even bitterer chill when Ethan Cooper walked in. Those that were left stared at him and Michaela caught a glimpse of him at the door. She wanted to tell him to get out because this was a gathering to honor the memory of Charlotte, and he had done nothing to honor her in their entire marriage. Sully felt Michaela go rigid in his arms, and he kissed her cheek.

"Don't worry," he whispered. "I'll take care of it."

"Sully, we have to think of the children. We can't just kick him out. He is their father."

"And they don't want anything to do with 'em."

"I know, but we can't do anything, Sully. Trust me."

"I do," Sully replied. "I'm just gonna talk to him before the kids see him." Sully walked away and motioned for Ethan to join him outside. When the men were out on the porch, Sully folded his arms over his chest. "What are you doin' here, Ethan?"  
"I came to pay my respects and to be with my children. They need me."

"They needed you for the past few years, but you weren't there. They don't need you anymore. They got a home now."

"I loved their mother!"

"You sure didn't act like it. You didn't act like you loved anyone but yourself. Seein' you would only upset the kids, and I'm here to make sure that don't happen. So why don't ya just leave?"

"I won't leave without my kids," Ethan said, his lips twisted in a snarl. Sully stared into the eyes of the man who was threatening to take the children away from him and Michaela. "Don't make me get the law involved in this."

"The law would turn you down. Charlotte signed those papers before she died, and that's all that matters. You'd lose, Ethan, and you'd lose money by payin' for a lawyer and a judge. It ain't gonna do you any good to fight this. If the kids wanna see ya, they can, but right now they're hurtin' and don't want you here. I'm gonna respect their wishes and ask ya kindly to leave." Ethan was about to say something else when Hank, Jake, and Robert E. walked out to stand behind Sully. He decided it was best if he went back into town. He turned, mounted his horse, and rode off. Sully turned around to face the three men.

"Thanks for bein' here," Sully said quietly. "Charlotte would have appreciated it."

"Widow Cooper was the only lady around that gave me the time of day," Hank said with a shrug. "She didn't exactly like me, but I respected her." Jake and Robert E. went back inside to join the other guests. Hank lingered outside with Sully. "Ethan Cooper don't deserve those kids."

"I don't think so either," Sully agreed.

"I know we got our differences, Sully, but I know that you want the best for those kids. I think it's awful nice of you and Michaela to take 'em in."

"We love those kids as if they were our own."

"I know what it's like to love a kid. I got a son."

"You?" Sully asked, surprised.

"Yeah. His name's Zach," Hank replied with a fond smile on his face, something Sully rarely ever saw. "He lives in Denver at a special school. He's draws real good, and I sent him there when he was real little. I couldn't take care of him. I didn't want him growin' up around the life I got. He lived with his ma's sister for awhile until I could pay enough money to send him to that school. But anyway, I think it's good that you're keepin' the kids safe from Ethan, because I'm glad Zach's got his aunt to keep him safe from me."

"But you ain't wantin' to be his pa just for money," Sully pointed out.

"No, but he wouldn't have much of a life if he lived with me. He's safer in Denver. Those kids are safer livin' with you and Michaela." Hank cleared his throat and walked back into the homestead. Sully was surprised that Hank had opened up to him. They usually never saw eye to eye, but the man had a side that was kind and thoughtful. He just didn't show it very often.

Michaela walked out onto the porch and Sully pulled her into his arms.

"You should be inside, it's freezing out here," Michaela said softly. "Did Ethan leave?"

"Yeah," Sully replied with a nod. He kissed Michaela softly and they held one another. "How are the kids?"

"They're holding themselves together. Brian's devastated. We all are, but he's really needing a friend."  
"He's takin' to Wolf," Sully replied.

"That's alright, isn't it?"

"Of course it is," Sully replied with a smile. "But I think I know what help him even more."

"What's that?"

"While I was out checkin' traps the other day, there was an abandoned wolf pup. I took him somewhere to keep him safe and warm. What would you think of me givin' him to Brian?"

"I think that would be a wonderful idea," Michaela replied with a grin.

"I'll ride out and get him later on. Let's go inside where it's warm for now." Michaela nodded in agreement and they walked back into the homestead.

Horace was working late at the telegraph office, and he had broken their dinner plans. Myra was lonely at the clinic. The Quinn's had gone to bed already, and Charlotte wasn't there to talk to anymore.

She was getting tired, but she couldn't sleep, so she pulled on her coat and walked outside to sit on the bench outside of the clinic. She was surprised to see Hank outside of his saloon. He saw her and started walking over toward the clinic. Myra swallowed hard. Hank always made her nervous, but she also knew he had a soft side. She had actually seen him upset at Charlotte's funeral.

"Evenin' Hank," Myra said quietly, pulling her coat tighter around herself.

"Myra," he replied with a nod. "What are you doin' out this late?"

"I couldn't sleep," Myra answered. "I s'pose I was thinkin' too much."

"Mind if I sit down?" Myra scooted over so Hank would have some room.

"What are ya doin', Hank?" she asked after a few moments of silence. "If you think this is a way to get me to work for ya, it ain't. I won't ever work for you."

"I don't expect ya to. I know you ain't cut out to be one of my girls. You're too pretty and too smart." Myra sighed and swallowed hard. She looked into his eyes and saw that he was being sincere. She wondered how someone like Hank could be so sweet when he also had a cruel, nasty, bitter side, which she had seen on several occasions.

"You don't gotta say that. You don't mean it."

"'Course I do. I thought you were the prettiest thing I ever seen the moment I saw ya." Myra closed her eyes and shook her head. She never saw herself as a pretty girl. She didn't see how anyone, least of all Hank, could see her that way.

"I ain't pretty," she whispered. "I don't remember my parents much, but from the beginnin' my pa was tellin' me I wasn't pretty and that no man would ever want me." She couldn't believe she had just divulged that information to Hank of all people, but he was easy to talk to, and for some reason, she felt like he would never repeat those words to a living soul.

"Well your pa was wrong. You're beautiful. You got a light in your eyes that I ain't seen in many women."

"I don't see it," Myra replied.

"'Course ya don't. You been growin' up with your pa's words rollin' 'round in your head. Well, you're pretty to me." Tears had begun to fall from Myra's cheeks, and she brushed them away.

"I should get some sleep." She walked inside and closed the door behind her. Hank continued to sit on the porch of the clinic, not believe the conversation he had just had. The only women he had ever called beautiful before was his son's mother. He thought Dr. Mike was beautiful, and he had seen that right from the start. But Myra was someone he could talk to, and she seemed to have a beautiful spirit."

The howling of a wolf in the distance startled Hank out of his thoughts. He began to wonder if he was starting to fall for the young woman. He started back to the saloon and laughed to himself, pulling out his flask and taking a swig of the substance it contained. He decided to brush off that thought because he knew a woman like Myra could never love a man like him. He wasn't meant to court, marry, or have children. He often cursed himself, thinking that Zach was born the way he was for a reason. Hank always thought Zach was born different from the other children because God didn't want him to be a father. Zach's mother had passed away, and Hank figured God was telling him he was never supposed to marry.

With a heavy sigh, Hank walked into the saloon and closed the doors for the night before he went to bed to sleep off the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, hoping that in the morning, the whisky would wear off, and he would have all of that falling in love nonsense out of his head.


	6. A New Family

Chapter 6: A New Family 

Despite the fact that Ethan Cooper was snooping around the new homestead, the Cooper children were getting acquainted with their new home. They were spending more and more time with Josef and Elizabeth while getting adjusted to having a new mother and father.

It had been an easier adjustment for the children to have Josef and Elizabeth nearby. They had never had grandparents before, and it was nice to have them around. So, Michaela and Sully had invited her parents to stay at the homestead for the last few days of their stay in Colorado Springs. They had brought beds from the clinic to fill Matthew, Colleen, and Brian's rooms, and Brian was staying with his big brother for a few nights to get used to things.

Sully was planning on giving Brian his new puppy as soon as the children got back from town. Michaela was exhausted and was taking the afternoon off from the clinic because she had been up several times in the night with Brian, who had been having nightmares. When Matthew had been unable to console his brother, he'd come get Michaela and Sully.

Sully had been keeping Brian's puppy at the old homestead, and he figured that by giving him the puppy now, the boy might be more relaxed and not have bad dreams at night. Michaela couldn't wait to see the look on Brian's face when he got his new companion. She was worried about all of the children, because they were trying to be strong for themselves, each other, and for Dr. Mike and Sully. Michaela and Sully had told them it was all right to talk about Charlotte, and they would discuss her, but it seemed as if things weren't being resolved. Michaela knew that it took time to recover from such a loss, and in some instances, people never really did recover from losing someone they loved so much.

Michaela was sitting in a chair by the fire, reading one of her medical books. Sully had taken Josef out to the new homestead after telling him he could use some help getting the wolf pup to the new homestead. In actuality, he would have had no trouble, but he wanted to give Michaela some time alone with her mother, because they barely got time to talk lately with Charlotte's dying and the children moving in. Plus, Ethan Cooper was still trying to get the children to trust him and trying to bribe them with gifts and tales of San Francisco. He knew for a fact that the adoption papers had been sent back to Denver, and that the new family was waiting for word on the papers being processed and accepted.

Elizabeth looked up from the blanket she was knitting. She saw that Michaela's eyes weren't concentrating on her book, but up into a far corner of the house, or perhaps beyond the walls and into some unknown place.

"Michaela?" Elizabeth asked. Michaela hadn't seemed to hear her. Elizabeth gently reached over and took the book from her daughter's hand. Feeling the absence of the book made Michaela realize that she had been daydreaming. She looked at her mother and took a deep breath.

"What is it, mother?"

"Heavens, you looked like your mind was in another world."

"It was," Michaela admitted. "I can't seem to concentrate lately. I'm so tired, but when I try to get my reading done, I can't seem to focus."

"You're tired, Michaela. Why don't you go upstairs to rest?"

"Sully and father should be back soon. The children will be coming in and they'll want lunch."

"I'll take care of it. You still need those cooking lessons," Elizabeth joked. Michaela rolled her eyes and smiled at her mother. "What were you thinking about?"

"Many things," Michaela replied thoughtfully. "Sully, the children, Charlotte . . ."

"There has to be something else. I can see that shine in your eyes." Michaela smiled a little.

"I've been thinking about children in general. Sully and I want to have a baby of our own. I know it's early."

"It's natural," Elizabeth replied.

"But I don't feel right about it right now. I just inherited three beautiful, amazing children, and Charlotte is gone. I feel selfish for wanting another child when I have my best friend's children."

"You're not selfish, Michaela. Not by any means at all. My dear, you look like you haven't gotten a moment of sleep. Go on upstairs and I'll take care of the children until Sully gets home."

"I'm alright."

"Michaela, please do this for me. You need your strength." Michaela yawned and nodded a bit.

"I suppose I could lie down for a few hours. You'll call for me if you need anything?"  
"Of course," Elizabeth replied. Michaela knew that was a lie. Elizabeth and Josef had become very self-reliant during their stay in Colorado Springs. Michaela was no worried that Martha and Harrison would be out of jobs when Dr. and Mrs. Quinn returned because they would be doing everything for themselves.

Michaela slowly ascended the stairs, took off her shoes, and crawled under the warm blankets and into the comfort of the wonderful bed Sully had made for her. The only thing that was missing was Sully lying with her, but she closed her eyes and made due with the quiet and slowly fell into a deep sleep, hoping that she would feel better when she woke.

Josef and Sully were on their way back to the homestead with Brian's puppy. Sully knew the children would be back from town soon, and he wanted the puppy to be waiting in Matthew's room for Brian when they returned.

"Mike has been very tired lately. She should get more sleep."

"She's been getting sleep, it's just that Brian's been havin' those nightmares."

"You haven't been keeping her up, have you?" Sully swallowed hard and his cheeks turned red, which was not something that happened often to Byron Sully. "I didn't mean to embarrass you, son. I know you are still in that honeymoon phase."

"Michaela's been real tired lately," Sully replied. "I've been givin' her some room. She's been upset over Charlotte's dyin', and she's been getting used to the children bein' around."

"My daughter hasn't lost sleep like this since she was in medical school," Josef said with a chuckle. "But I suppose she should get used to sleepless nights. The way I figure is that you'll be hearing the pitter patter of little feet."

"What makes ya say that?" Sully asked as they continued down the road. The wolf pup jumped on Wolf's back and began chewing on his ear. Wolf, acting like an annoyed big brother, playfully nipped at the pup until he backed off.

"Because when I look at Mike when she looks at you, I see the look in Elizabeth's eyes when she decided she wanted to have one more child." Sully smiled a little.

"We wanna have a baby," Sully admitted. "We just ain't sure it's the right time."

"You can't really plan these things all the time, Sully. It'll happen when nature decides it's time."

"We ain't really in a hurry," Sully replied, "but we ain't exactly not tryin' either. We can't wait to add to our family, but then again, we didn't really think Charlotte was gonna pass so soon."

"But Mike knew it was going to happen sooner or later."

"I think she was startin' to convince herself that she had more time to get to know the children and Charlotte. But now she's just married, catchin' up on her work at the clinic, and takin' care of three kids. I'm tryin' to help her so she won't have to take it all on herself."

"That's good," Josef replied. He pat his son-in-law on the back and they continued on in silence toward the new homestead.

Myra was dusting the shelves at the clinic, the least she felt she could do considering that Michaela was letting her stay for free. She hadn't been out of the clinic yet, because after she had woken, she had seen Hank outside the saloon, staring over at the building. She had an uneasy feeling, and she wasn't sure if that was a bad thing. She cared a great deal for Horace, but the way Hank looked at her and spoke to her made her feel special, even though those looks and comments were coming from a man who owned a saloon and made prostitutes sign contracts.

She jumped when a knock came to the door and Horace walked in.

"Afternoon' Myra."

"Hi Horace," Myra replied with a smile.

"Sorry I had to cancel our plans last night."

"That's alright," Myra answered calmly. She glanced out the window to see that Hank wasn't outside of the saloon anymore. She swallowed hard, feeling guilty for thinking about Hank while Horace was standing right in front of her.

"You ain't mad?"

"'Course not." She smiled at him and took off her dusting apron.

"Listen, I better get back to the office. I just wanted to come check on you and apologize for last night."

"Don't you worry 'bout it, Horace." Myra gave him a smile as he left. She shut the door behind him and leaned against it. Why couldn't she stop thinking about Hank? He wasn't a good person, even though he had a soft side that was kind and gentle. Horace was the kind of man she was supposed to be thinking about. He was kind, gentle, and cared for her very much. It was obvious that he was willing to do anything for her, but then again, it seemed as if underneath that rough exterior, Hank might've been willing to do the same thing.

Michaela yawned and sat up in her bed. She had only been lying down for about fifteen minutes, but she couldn't get comfortable enough to fall asleep. When she heard the wagon, she knew that it was either Sully and Josef with the wagon, or the children with Charlotte's wagon. She hurried over to the window to see Sully, Josef, Wolf, and the pup. She hurried down the stairs where the aromas of a wonderful lunch were floating through the air.

"Michaela?" Elizabeth asked.

"I couldn't sleep," Michaela replied. Josef walked in and Michaela smiled at him.

"Mike, have you been resting?" Josef asked, giving his daughter a hug.

"I've been trying," Michaela said with a sigh. "Where's Sully?"

"He's out in the barn putting the horses up." Michaela nodded, pulled on her coat, and walked out into the cold January air. The clouds above were heavy and gray, and Michaela knew that it was going to snow shortly. She walked into the barn and smiled when she saw Wolf and the pup playing together. Sully smiled when he saw his wife.

"I thought you were gonna rest today."

"I wanted to come out here and greet you," Michaela replied, walking over to Sully. Sully happily took his wife in his arms and kissed her lovingly.

"You feelin' alright?"

"Yes, I'm just tired," she assured him. "The children aren't back yet, so your surprise hasn't been ruined." Sully smiled and kissed Michaela's cheek. He picked up the wolf pup and they walked into the house. Wolf ran in ahead of them and the puppy nearly leapt out of Sully's arms.

"Oh!" Elizabeth exclaimed as Wolf ran by. Sully went upstairs to put the pup in Matthew's room. Michaela walked over to smell the stew that Elizabeth was preparing.

"This smells wonderful, mother."

"Thank you," Elizabeth replied with a nod. The sounds of another wagon pulling up to the house caught Michaela's attention.

"The children are home," she said with a smile. She walked out onto the porch to greet them. "Good afternoon."

"Afternoon, Dr. Mike," Matthew said with a smile. Sully came walking down the stairs.

"Lunch is almost ready. Why don't you children go wash up?" Michaela asked.

"You didn't cook, did you?" Colleen asked cautiously. Michaela laughed and shook her head.

"I did," Elizabeth replied with a laugh. "Unfortunately I never could get Michaela to spent five minutes in the kitchen with Martha."

"Who's Martha?" Brian asked.

"She's the maid at my old home in Boston," Michaela replied. "Go on upstairs and wash up."

"I'm first," Matthew said as the kids hurried up the stairs.

"They seem to be doing well," Michaela said softly.

"They're gonna be fine. It'll just take time for all of us to get adjusted." A minute later, Brian shouted out upstairs and came running down with the pup in his arms.

"Careful, Brian!" Michaela warned.

"It's a puppy!" Brian exclaimed.

"I thought you might like him to keep you company once you get to sleep in your own room."

"You mean it?! He's mine?!" Brian asked with wide eyes. The puppy jumped out of his arms and jumped a little bit before he ran after Wolf to play.

"He's yours, Brian," Sully replied with a smile. Brian ran over to him and Sully picked him up.

"Thanks pa," Brian whispered, hugging him tightly. Sully and Michaela exchanged glances. Sully rubbed the boy's back and held him close. "I can call ya pa can't I?"

"That's up to you, son." He put Brian down and the boy looked up at him.

"You're sure my real ma wouldn't mind me callin' you 'pa' and Dr. Mike 'ma?'"

"I don't believe she'd mind at all. But that's up to you, Brian," Michaela replied. "I know that she has only been gone for a few days, so you don't have to do anything you aren't ready for."

"But just callin' you Dr. Mike don't make it seem right. I want a ma and a pa. I love you both like you were my real ma and pa."

"And we love you too," Michaela replied with tears in her eyes. "We love you, your brother, and your sister very very much." She pulled Brian into her arms. He put an arm around her neck and held one out to Sully. Sully and Michaela both held onto Brian together. Colleen came down the stairs and saw the little scene.

"What's going on?"

"I get to call them ma and pa," Brian said with a smile. "Do you think ma minds?" Colleen looked at her new family and she shook her head. No matter how much she missed her mother, she knew that Brian needed to be able to call someone his parents, and Ethan was the only real parent they had left. She smiled.

"Ma doesn't mind, Brian," Colleen whispered. "Dr. Mike and Sully are our ma and pa now. That won't change, right?"

"Right," Michaela replied with a nod. They put Brian down and he picked up the puppy who had come back to his side.

"Colleen, did you see what ma and pa are lettin' me have?"

"I did," Colleen replied with a grin. "What are ya gonna name him?" Brian thought for a moment.

"Pup," he decided.

"Pup?" Sully asked.

"Yeah."

"But what happens when he grows into a big wolf?" Michaela wondered.

"He'll still be Pup," Brian replied. "Can I go play outside with him?"

"You can go outside after lunch," Michaela replied. "And you'll have to bundle up because it's going to snow."

"I will," Brian promised. Matthew came walking down the stairs.

"What's goin' on?"

"Matthew! This is pup! Sully . . . I mean pa brought him for me!" Matthew looked at Sully and Michaela. Michaela began to wonder what Matthew would think of his little brother calling her and Sully ma and pa.

"Did he? Well, after we eat lunch, I'll help you set up a bed for him in the barn."

"Thanks!" Brian replied. He hurried upstairs to get washed up. Matthew swallowed hard and looked at Sully and Michaela.

"Matthew . . ."

"No, it's alright," Matthew said softly. "Ma wanted it this way. She wanted us to think of you and Sully as our parents, and you have been there for us for months. You are our parents. I s'pose me, Colleen, and Brian are lucky. We've got a father and two mothers. It's just that one ain't here anymore."

"You really feel that way?" Sully asked.

"'Course I do," Matthew said quietly, his voice breaking. "I love my ma, but she wanted us to do what we felt was right. I want a ma and a pa, and that ain't somethin' I've really had for a long time. It's good to be in a family again, you know? A family where there's a ma and a pa and even grandparents." Michaela touched Matthew's face and brushed away a tear that started to fall. "We won't ever forget our real ma, but it's good to know that we've got a ma and pa here on earth, and that ain't gonna change. I'm proud to be a part of this family, and I'm glad that our ma wanted you to look after us."

"Same here," Colleen replied with a smile. "I can't say I'm going to call you ma and pa, but that's what you're gonna be to me." Colleen looked at Sully and smiled. "My real pa hasn't been there for me like a pa should, and I know that you won't leave Dr. Mike. I know we're safe here."

"You're right about that," Sully replied, putting a loving arm around Michaela. "You kids don't have to worry about anything, because you have a home here forever. That's what your ma wanted, and that's what we want."

Josef and Elizabeth had been observing this scene, and they looked at their family with pride, knowing that their daughter had made the right choice in coming to Colorado Springs. She now had a family, and she was happier than she had ever been. Now the only problem in the back of their minds was the one thing that wouldn't seem to go away. Ethan Cooper.

Midnight was fast approaching, and the Sully homestead was quiet. Josef and Elizabeth were sleeping down the hall, and the children had finally settled and gone to sleep. Matthew fell asleep right away, Colleen had stayed up to read, and Brian couldn't sleep because he was too busy playing with Pup, quietly of course, as to not wake Matthew.

Michaela was sitting up in bed with her head resting on the intricately carved headboard. She was staring off into space, thinking about her future with her family. Michaela was going to go into town in the morning, and she knew she should sleep, but she couldn't. She was so accustomed to staying up all night in the arms of her husband, making love until the wee hours of the morning, sleeping until noon, and making love until sundown. Now that three children were living in the house, things couldn't happen like that anymore. Plus, Michaela had her practice and she couldn't abandon that for pleasure, as tempting as that sounded sometimes.

The door opened and Sully walked in, yawning and stretching. He shut the door and removed his shirt, hanging in on the hook on the door as usual.

"Is everyone asleep?" Michaela asked.

"Finally. Brian just nodded off a few minutes ago."

"He's really attached to Pup."

"Sure is," Sully agreed. Michaela climbed off of the bed and walked over to hang up her robe. Her nightgown floated behind her as she walked back to the bed. She climbed in and Sully climbed under the covers with her. She yawned and rested against Sully. He pulled his arms snugly around her.

"What a day," Michaela whispered.

"Mhm," Sully mumbled.

"Sully?"

"Yeah?"

"I was just thinking."

"'Bout what?"

"About our family," Michaela replied. She shifted to sit up and face him. She held his hands in hers and laced her fingers with his. "I want us to have a baby."

"We will."

"I can't wait to make our family grow and create a life with you. It's something I can't stop thinking about, and I would like nothing more than to be the mother of your child."

"You really want this right away?"  
"I do," Michaela replied, her eyes lighting up. "I think I've known from the moment I met you, somewhere deep inside, that I wanted to be with you for the rest of my life and create a family with you. What do you think?"

"I know we weren't exactly tryin', and I don't think it's really gotta happen soon, but if it happens, it happens, and I'll be more than happy. I can't wait to see you nursin' our baby for the first time, holdin' and kissin' the baby. I can't wait to bring him or her out to the lean to, or maybe go to Boston and tell him how his ma and pa met." Michaela smiled as she watched the light in Sully's eyes brighten. He smiled when he saw how happy she was, and he couldn't wait to see that smile on her face when they found out they were expecting. "What do you say we get started on expandin' our family right now?" Michaela pretended to think about it for a moment.

"Hmm," she pondered, tapping her finger on her lips.

"C'mere," Sully said with a chuckle, pulling Michaela close and capturing her lips with his. Michaela reached over to turn down the oil lamp, dimming the room. The only light that bathed over the two lovers was that coming from the fireplace. Michaela and Sully spent the rest of the night enthusiastically trying to help their family grow.


	7. Goodbyes

**Chapter 7: Goodbyes**

Before anyone knew it, it was Friday and the stagecoach had pulled into town. Sully/Cooper/Quinn clan had awakened early in order to see Josef and Elizabeth off. The sun was just coming up and the dim morning was slowly becoming bright. There was a light dusting of snow on the ground, but the clouds in the sky promised a blizzard.

"Grandma, I'll miss you," Colleen said as she and Elizabeth embraced.

"Colleen, you have our address in Boston, so write me as often as possible."

"I will. I promise," Colleen replied. Colleen went to hug Josef while Brian and Matthew said goodbye to their grandmother. Sully and Michaela had their arms around one another as they watched the children with their grandparents. Michaela found it hard to believe that the week was over. She and Sully had been married nearly two weeks now, and the time seemed to be flying by.

Once the children were finished with their goodbyes, Sully went to hug Elizabeth while Michaela went to her father.

"Father, I'm going to miss you."

"I'll come visit again as soon as we hear news about a grandchild," Josef replied with a grin. Michaela and Sully looked at each other as Michaela blushed. "Mike, don't be embarrassed."

"Thank you for being here, father. Just having you around made everything so much easier."

"I'll always be there for my little Mike, even if I am halfway across the country." Mike laughed and hugged her father. She moved over to her mother while Sully went to Shake Josef's hand. "A handshake? Son, you know me better than that." Josef pulled his son-in-law into a big hug. When they pulled away, they shook hands. "You take care of my Mike, you hear me?"  
"I'll take care of her and the kids."

"That's good to know."

"I love her very much. I won't ever hurt her."  
"I trust you, son." The men turned to look at Michaela and Elizabeth who were hugging.

"I'm glad you were here," Michaela whispered. "Thank you for supporting me."

"Thank you for showing me what a fool I've been," Elizabeth added. She pulled away from her daughter and smiled at her. "You're a brilliant doctor, an obviously loving wife, and I know you're going to make a wonderful mother. I want to know as soon as you're expecting so I can finish that blanket."

"Blaknet?"

"The white blanket I've been knitting is for your first born."

"Oh mother," Michaela whispered, the tears starting to flow again. "I love you."

"I love you too, Michaela."

"We're headin' out," one of the stagecoach drivers called over as he fed the horses a bit of hay before the journey.

"We had better get in," Josef commented. He helped Elizabeth into the stagecoach and got in by himself.

"We'll write as soon as we get back to Boston," Elizabeth promised. Dr. and Mrs. Quinn waved as the stagecoach drove off being pulled by the horses. Sully, Michaela, and the children all waved as the stagecoach rounded a bend and pulled out of sight. Michaela turned to Sully and he brushed a singer tear from her skin.

"You alright?"

"I just can't believe they're not going to be around anymore. I've grown accustomed to having them around again." Sully kissed the side of her head and she yawned a little.

"Come on. It's early, so if you lie down at the clinic, you might get a couple more hours of sleep."

"The children," Michaela began. She looked over to see that the children were sitting the porch of the clinic.

"I'll take the children home. Brian wants me to help him and Matthew finish Pup's bed.

"I don't see why. Pup will end up sleeping in Brian's bed every night," Michaela laughed.

"It's somethin' for us to do together. Brian likes spendin' time with me and Matthew."

"I know. I'm happy about that," Michaela said with a grin. They kissed briefly before a voice from behind separated them.

"Good morning." Michaela and Sully turned to see Ethan Cooper standing behind them, a smug look plastered on his face as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Mr. Cooper," Michaela responded with a nod, trying to be a civil to him as she possibly could.

"I would like to spend time with my children today."

"Why?" Sully asked. Michaela nudged him, knowing that they should at least be civil because he was the biological father of the three Cooper children.

"I want to talk with them. I'll stay in town with him. I want to try to make them understand."

"That's up to the children. Sully and I won't force them to do anything they don't want to do. Michaela, Sully, and Ethan walked over to the clinic. The children grew quiet, Matthew especially.

"What do you say we go have a little talk?" Ethan asked.

"I ain't goin' anywhere with you," Matthew replied. Ethan looked at his other two children.

"Colleen? Brian?"

"No thanks," Colleen replied, her eyes tearing up as she thought of how he had abandoned her, her brothers, and their mother.

"Brian?" Ethan repeated. Brian looked up at Sully and Michaela. He swallowed hard and looked up at Ethan Cooper, staring him in the eyes.

"I got a new ma and pa now." Sully knelt down to look Brian straight in the eyes.

"Brian, I don't want ya to feel like just because we're your family now, that you gotta stop seein' your real pa."

"I don't wanna see him!"

"Are you sure?" Michaela asked.

"I'm sure. He left us and he stayed away for a long time," Brian replied. "I don't want to go to San Francisco. You said I wouldn't have to!"

"You don't have to go anywhere," Sully promised, putting his hand on the young boy's back. "You don't ever have to go anywhere you don't want to go." Sully stood up and looked Ethan in the eyes now. "You heard them. Why don't you go back to San Francisco. I think you've overstayed your welcome." Ethan turned and stalked off toward the saloon, but it wasn't over yet.

Later that afternoon, Brian and Matthew were at the homestead with Sully while Colleen was helping Michaela at the clinic. Emily Donovan was in for her noon two o'clock appointment.

"You and the baby are both in excellent health, Emily."

"I'm glad to hear that," Emily replied, breathing a sigh of relief. "She's finally sleepin' through the night, but when she does wake up, it takes forever to get her to go back to sleep."

"All babies are different."

"Well, I'm thankin' God for this one, because my son was even more difficult that this one is." Michaela laughed and handed Emily's baby over to her. Emily said her goodbyes and left the clinic.

"Dr. Mike, do you want me to make us something for lunch?"

"Thank you, but I'm not hungry."

"You hardly ate anything at breakfast. You should try to eat somethin'."

"I'm fine, Colleen. If you're hungry, go right ahead. I'll eat later at dinner."

"That's hours away," Colleen persisted. Michaela sighed.

"I'm fine, I promise," Michaela said with a smile. Colleen frowned but walked off into the other room to use the stove to cook. Michaela sighed heavily and leaned against the wall. She felt dizzy and nauseated. She couldn't be pregnant. It was too soon, and she and Sully had only been married for two weeks. She knew she was coming down with something, so she decided to lay down for awhile. She knew she hadn't been sleeping much, and that was probably affecting her appetite and the way she was feeling.

Myra walked out of the back room where Colleen was preparing lunch, and she saw how pale Michaela's already ivory features had become.

"Dr. Mike? Are you alright?"

"Yes," Michaela replied. "I'm just a bit tired."

"Why don't ya go on home? You don't have another appointment today."

"I know," Michaela replied. "But I don't want to leave. I feel as if I've been neglecting the clinic lately. You've been keeping track of my appointments when you have another job."

"My job is workin' for Grace, but the café's closed up till the spring. I'm happy to help ya out, because I know you're just married and you've got Charlotte's kids now. You need all the help you can get."

"Thank you Myra. That's very kind of you, but I think I'll just stay down here and do a little catching up."

"Alright," Myra replied slowly. "I'm just gonna go outside for a breath of fresh air." She pulled her coat on and walked outside to stand on the porch. Michaela frowned and put her hand on her stomach. She had a very unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach, and she was worried. She took something to ease the queasiness and went back to work.

While Matthew and Sully worked in the barn, trying to build a bed for Pup to sleep in, Brian played outside with him.

"Come on, boy!" Brian called as he ran around the large yard with the little fluffy puppy following closely behind him. Brian continued to run around until he saw a man on horseback approaching. It was Cloud Dancing!

"Pa! Pa!" Sully came running when he heard the boy yelling.

"What is it, Brian?" Sully asked, kneeling beside his son.

"It's Cloud Dancing!" Brian exclaimed. He pointed in the Indian's direction. Sully looked up to see his best friend riding closer at a rapid pace. As soon as Cloud Dancing stopped, he dismounted and clasped arms with his brother.

"What's goin' on?"

"White men have taken her!"

"Who?" Sully asked. Cloud Dancing swallowed hard.

"Snow Bird." Sully took a deep breath and patted Cloud Dancing's shoulder.

"We'll get her back." Sully turned to see Matthew coming out of the barn. "Matthew, take your brother into town and tell Dr. Mike that I have to leave."

"Can't you tell her?"

"It can't wait. Snow Bird's been taken." Matthew nodded.

"How long will you be gone?"  
"Hopefully not more than a day or so."

"I'll tell her," Matthew replied. Sully ran into the barn and took one of the horses. He was starting out of the barn when Brian ran up.

"Pa! You're comin' back, right?"

"'Course I am, Brian." He gave the boy a reassuring smile before he rode off after Cloud Dancing.

"Did he say where he was going?" Michaela asked after Matthew and Brian had explained what Sully was doing.

"No," Matthew replied. "But he said he should hopefully be back in day or so." Michaela became concerned even more, and she wondered if perhaps she should go after Sully in case Snow Bird needed medical assistance. But then again, she knew that she needed to stay with the children and take care of the clinic. She hoped that if Snow Bird was in need of assistance, Sully and Cloud Dancing would bring her into town as soon as possible.

"Thank you for letting me know," Michaela whispered.

"We're goin' back to the homestead. Do you want us to take ya?" Matthew asked, searching Michaela's eyes with his own.

"No, I'll be along later."

"You're sure?" Michaela nodded. Matthew turned slowly and put his hand on his little brother's head. "Alright, little brother. Let's go home."

"I'm gonna go home and get some chores done," Colleen said with a smile as she walked out of the back room. I left some lunch back there for ya in case ya get hungry." Michaela nodded.

"Thank you." Michaela turned and went back to keeping herself busy, but this time it wasn't to keep her mind off of her stomachache. She was now trying to keep herself from worrying about Sully.

The door opened and Dorothy walked in. She saw how worried and pale Michaela had become.

"Oh dear! What's the matter, Michaela?" Michaela looked up at her and swallowed hard. An uneasy feeling washed over her. She gripped the table just as Hank came walking in. Her eyes rolled back and she fell backward. Dorothy cried out and Hank caught Michaela in his arms. He quickly put her up on the exam table and looked at Dorothy with concern.

"What do we do?"

"Hand me her medical bag. She's gotta have some smellin' salts or somethin'." Hank handed Dorothy the bag and she started searching through it. Before she could find anything, Michaela began to come to. Hank grabbed the pitcher of water, poured some of it into a bowl, and used a sponge to gently run it across Michaela's beautiful face. Dorothy watched Hank and saw how gentle he was, and she was completely surprised. The door opened and Myra walked in. She had wondered what was going on when she saw Hank walk into the clinic. Now that she saw him running the sponge over Michaela's face, her heart skipped a beat.

"Hey doc? You alright?" he asked as he put the sponge away. Michaela slowly sat up and Hank and Dorothy kept a close eye on her in case she fell back again.

"Yes. I think I had better get home."

"I'll drive your wagon. You ain't in any condition to be drivin' out there," Hank offered. Michaela stared at him for a moment. She couldn't believe how considerate he was being, but she knew he was being sincere. She simply nodded and Hank helped her stand.

"I'd go, but Loren's expectin' me to take stock at the store," Dorothy said apprehensively.

"I'll go," Myra offered. Hank turned and saw Myra. He swallowed hard and helped Michaela out the door. Myra helped him, and by the time he put her in the back of the wagon, she was feeling much better. She sat up, but she was still feeling very sick. Hank helped Myra up into the front of the wagon. They started off for the homestead as Michaela rested in the back of the wagon.

"Thanks for bringin' her home," Matthew said as he helped Michaela out of the back of the wagon.

"I'll drop your wagon off by the barn. Me and Myra'll walk back to town." Matthew nodded and helped Michaela into the house. Brian and Colleen looked very concerned, but didn't ask questions.

"Can you make it upstairs?"

"I'm fine," Michaela insisted.

"You don't look fine," Matthew replied, taking charge as man of the house while Sully was away. "Go get into bed and get some rest." Michaela honestly didn't feel like arguing, so she made her way upstairs and into her bedroom. She changed into her night gown, and as she was doing so, she ran her hand over her smooth belly. Could she really be pregnant? She didn't think the symptoms could show up so soon, but perhaps she really was expecting. She smiled a little and got under the covers at bed. Maybe she was pregnant, and if she was, she couldn't wait to tell Sully.

She closed her eyes and started to slip into a dream. After awhile, however, she sat up feeling pain in her abdomen. She sat up and climbed out of bed, finding blood on the blankets. She sighed heavily and knew that she had gotten her monthly and that she wasn't pregnant. Now she knew why she had been feeling so ill, and that the reason she had passed out had been because she had been sleep deprived.

She sighed in disappointment, but figured that it might be good to wait awhile to have a baby anyway. She only wished that Sully was there to tell her everything would be alright. She sighed, pulled the covers off of the bed to clean them, walked down the hall to the washroom to get cleaned up, and retired back to bed to sleep for the next several hours, trying to feel better about the fact that Sully wasn't there and she was missing him already.


	8. Life or Death

**Chapter 8: Life or Death**

Sully and Cloud Dancing had recovered Snow Bird safely and securely, and she had gotten through the ordeal without being harmed. But, she was afraid, so Cloud Dancing held her all through the night to let her know he was there for her. Sully couldn't help but think of Michaela all thought the night and in his dreams.

Now that the daylight had peaked through the forest, Cloud Dancing, Snow Bird, and Sully were making their way back home. Sully hoped Michaela wouldn't be upset with him for running off like that, but he had to be there for his friends. They too were his family.

Sully was quiet as they rode down the path in the woods. Cloud Dancing and Snow Bird were sharing a horse. The Indian had suggested that they ride slow for Snow Bird's sake. Cloud Dancing glanced over at Sully.

"You will be home to her by sundown," Cloud Dancing promised. Sully looked over at him.

"I hope she understands," Sully said with a heavy sigh.

"She loves you. She will understand." They rode on in silence. Sully thought of Michaela and how he had fallen in love with her from the moment he saw her. He hadn't wanted to admit it to himself, but she had been the most gorgeous creature, and his heart pounded for her the second he laid eyes on her.

Lately he found himself having more and more dreams about his family. His most vivid dream last night was of himself and Michaela walking hand-in-hand through the meadow in the springtime. He would reach over and put his hand on her rounded belly. All of his dreams seemed to be centered around Michaela being pregnant or having a baby. The more he had those dreams, to less he could wait to be able to create a life with Michaela. Snow Bird whispered something to Cloud Dancing, and he helped her off of the horse. She hurried of into the bushes and Cloud Dancing waited. Sully stopped his horse and looked back to his friend.

"She is with child," Cloud Dancing said with a proud gleam in his eyes. He and Sully shook hands, and Sully couldn't wait to feel that pride when he got to announce that he and Michaela were going to have a baby. "The spirits say the child will be here in the June month."

"That's not far away," Sully replied. "You have time to get ready though."

"We are preparing for our daughter."

"Daughter?"

"The spirits say the child is a girl."

"Congratulations," Sully said with a chuckle. Cloud Dancing nodded his thanks. Snow Bird reappeared and Cloud Dancing helped her back up onto the horse. Now he knew why Cloud Dancing had insisted upon traveling slow. There was no way an expectant father would want his wife to be riding a horse at all, but since she was tired and her feet ached, they would have to ride slow.

They continued down the path, and Sully wished to ride ahead to get to Michaela sooner, but he knew that he couldn't leave his friends, especially since the kidnappers who had taken Snow Bird would probably wake soon. The last Sully saw of them, they were passed out drunk on the ground. One had stirred when Cloud Dancing freed Snow Bird from the shackles she was confined in, and the other had tried to get up to fight off the intruders. He had been too drunk to do anything, but Sully was sure that both men would be sobering up and on their trail soon.

Cloud Dancing had asked his wife why the men took her and she told him that there was a man looking for Indians to hand over to the army for payment. Luckily, Snow Bird wasn't going to have to go with them. She was grateful that her husband had found her.

As they traveled, Sully thought about what he would do if anyone ever took Michaela away from him. The thought of it just made Sully want to rush home and make sure his wife was okay. He knew that he would kill to protect his family, but he didn't know quite how he would react if it ever happened. He never wanted Michaela to be afraid or in danger, but he knew that there would be times when everyone would fear for their lives. The army was becoming increasingly angry toward the Indians for not giving into their wishes, and Sully knew it was only a matter of time before the killing began.

A sound from behind caused the horses to startle. The men turned their horses around to see one of the men who had taken Snow Bird. Sully saw the gun pointing at them, and he knew that something was about to happen, and Snow Bird was with child so she needed to be safe.

"Cloud Dancin', get Snow Bird to safety," Sully said calmly. Cloud Dancing glanced at his friend for a moment, not wanting to leave his side. But he had his wife and unborn child to think of, so she quickly turned his horse around and sped off. The man with the gun shot in his direction, but Sully jumped in front of him, catching the bullet in his chest. He screamed in pain and fell to the ground. He was still, too still, and the man looked at his partner in crime.

"I think he's dead, Joe."

"We best get out of here and get those Injuns before they go talkin'." The two men mounted their horses and slapped the backside of Sully's horse. As they rode off in pursuit of Cloud Dancing and Snow Bird, Sully's horse ran off in the other opposite direction.

Michaela yawned and got out of bed feeling a tad better than the night before. She smelled breakfast cooking, so she dressed and descended the stairs. Colleen was putting eggs onto all of the plates while Matthew helped pour milk for everyone. Brian wasn't being much of a help while he played on the floor with pup.

"Good morning," Michaela said with a yawn.

"Mornin' ma," Brian said with a smile.

"You're lookin' better today," Matthew noticed.

"Thank you. I feel better."

"Are you going into the clinic today?" Colleen asked.

"Yes, I'm feeling well enough to go into town."

"I'll hitch up the wagon before breakfast is done." Michaela nodded and Matthew left the homestead as Colleen went to the stove to stir the oatmeal.

There was a draft in the house now that Matthew had opened the door. Although he'd shut it, the cold air seemed to travel quickly. Michaela added a few logs to the fire and warmed her hands.

"I hope pa comes home soon," Brian said, standing up and walking over to take a seat at the table.

"So do I, Brian," Michaela replied with a nod.

As soon as Matthew had returned, breakfast was ready, and everyone sat down to eat. Michaela ate as much as she could possibly get down, which wasn't much at all. The children noticed how her eating habits were starting to weaken, and they wanted to be able to help her. They weren't quite sure how to go about doing that, but they knew that she would feel better once Sully returned home.

A knock came to the door as the family was eating breakfast, so Michaela walked over to see who it was. Ethan Cooper stood before Michaela as she opened the door. He was dressed in his fanciest suit and hat. The children turned in their seats to see him.

"We're in the middle of breakfast, Mr. Cooper."

"I wanted to say goodbye, Dr. Quinn." He tipped his hat with a gentleman's matters and gave her his best smile. Michaela could see through Ethan's exterior. She knew he had something up his sleeve.

"You're leavin'?" Colleen asked, not sounding very upset about it.

"Yes I am. But the three of you are coming with me."

"We ain't goin' nowhere with you." Michaela cleared her throat.

"They're not going."

"I'd say they are, Dr. Quinn. These children are mine since Charlotte's gone."

"We've already sent in the adoption papers."

"They ain't been processed yet. A judge in Denver says these children are comin' with me." He handed Michaela a paper and she read it over. She had hoped he had misunderstood because he couldn't read, but it was obvious that someone had given him the news.

"I'm sure you conveniently left out the fact that there are adoption papers in progress, Mr. Cooper," Michaela accused. The look in Ethan's eyes told her that she was right.

"This paper says the children belong to me. If you don't want things to get ugly, you'll hand them over to me right now." Michaela turned to look at the children. They were afraid and angry by right. Michaela had promised them they wouldn't have to go with Ethan if they didn't want to. She was bound and determined not to let them down.

"We ain't goin' nowhere with you," Matthew warned, standing up. He walked over to the door and stared down the man who had abandoned his family. "You're a coward."

"Now hold on, son."

"You waited until Sully wasn't here so you could come harass Dr. Mike." Ethan started to speak but Matthew cut him off. "You ain't our pa anymore. Sully's our pa, and Dr. Mike is our new ma. You ain't gonna make us go with you."

"I have the law on my side, son," Ethan explained.

"I think you better turn around and leave." Michaela watched the oldest boy's face start to grow red with anger. She reached over and put a hand on his shoulder. He took the paper from her hands and ripped it up, throwing it at Ethan's feet.

"Matthew!" Michaela exclaimed. No, she didn't want Ethan taking the children, but she hadn't expected Matthew to do what he had just done.

"Now you're back at where ya started." Ethan swallowed hard and decided to play his last card.

"I thought you children might like to have a family."

"We've got a family," Brian spoke up.

"If you come with me, you'll have a family in San Francisco."

"What are you talking about?" Ethan had spared Michaela's curiosity.

"I'm going to be married soon. Your future step-mother is back in San Francisco."

"What?!" Colleen asked, her eyes wide and her mouth agape.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, but I wanted to surprise you. Her name is Lillian, and we want you to come live with us. Colleen, we want you to be her maid of honor. Matthew, you can be the best man, and Brian can be the ring bearer. Lillian has three children. Jonathan is eight like you, Brian. Mary is five, and little Rosie is two."

"You're tellin' us that you've got a whole other family in San Francisco?!" Colleen asked.

"Mr. Cooper, I would like to have a word with you outside." Michaela walked out onto the porch and Ethan followed. She shut the door as soon as they were on the porch. She stared at him, her arms across her chest and her toe tapping briskly on the wooden planks.

"Yes, Dr. Quinn?"

"Why are you lying to your children?"

"I'm not lying. I am engaged to a woman who has three children. What else are you asking me?"

"Charlotte told me that you only want the children because that's the only way you will get your father's money." Ethan swallowed hard. "You were just going to lie to those children?"

"I . . ."

"You don't need to lie anymore. Haven't you done enough damage?" Ethan didn't look so confident anymore.

"Don't make me remove them from your home by force."

"You won't touch them!" Ethan started for the door, but Michaela stepped in his way.

"Don't make this any harder on yourself." He started to push past her when two strong arms grabbed him from behind and pushed him off of the porch. Ethan tumbled down into the dirt. Jake Slicker and Hank were standing on the porch looking down at him.

"Don't ever get rough with a lady," Jake warned. Michaela was surprised to see the two men there. Hank grabbed Ethan by the collar and pushed him up.

"Please stop!" Michaela begged, not wanting the children to see their father get beaten to a pulp, although she had to admit that seeing him hurt for a moment might make her feel better. Hank held onto Ethan and escorted him to his horse.

"You get into town and get your stuff out of my saloon. You ain't welcome." Ethan rode off quickly and Hank turned to Michaela.

"You alright?" Jake asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," Michaela said with a nod. "What brings the two of you out here?"

"We came lookin' for Sully."

"He's not here," Michaela replied. "What do you need him for?"

"Two fellas rode into town askin' about him, and I figured he'd want to know about it. They had guns and looked like they were after him." Michaela felt a lump in her throat and she swallowed hard.

"He's not here. He went to help a friend."

"Would that friend be Cloud Dancin'?" Hank asked.

"What if it was?" Michaela asked cautiously.

"Well, it seemed like those fellas were after Cloud Dancin'. They didn't say they were lookin' for Sully, but they were askin' if he had a wife. We didn't tell 'em nothin', so we though ya'll would like to know."

"Thank you for telling me," Michaela said with a nod. At that point, Cloud Dancing came galloping down the hill with Snow Bird on the back of his horse. He stopped as soon as he reached the front of the homestead. He helped his wife off and dismounted himself.

"Cloud Dancing! Snow Bird!" Michaela exclaimed. "Where's Sully?"  
"Sully was shot early this morning. He needs help."

"There are men out lookin' for you," Jake said. He and Hank weren't the biggest fan of Indians, but they were starting to learn when to be allies.

"One is short and lean. One tall and heavy."

"Yeah," Hank said with a nod. They were askin' 'bout Sully. They must think he's dead."

"They left him," Michaela whispered.

"Snow Bird needs rest," Cloud Dancing replied. "She is with child and the ride here was not good for her."

"Certainly," Michaela said with a nod. "Colleen!" Colleen came outside, and her brothers followed.

"What is it?"

"Could you help Snow Bird up to a bed, please? I have to go with Cloud Dancing."

"Sure," Colleen replied. She helped the Indian woman and Michaela turned to Matthew.

"Would you look after Brian and Colleen?"

"Yeah," Matthew replied. Brian ran inside and brought out Michaela's medical bag. Michaela kissed the top of Brian's head and Matthew brought a horse out of the barn. Michaela mounted up.

"You need a hand?" Jake asked.

"Ain't we helped enough?" Hank asked. "I ain't followin' no Injuns."

"Sully'd help us if we needed it. We outta show him the same consideration." Jake and Hank exchanged glances before they both mounted up and followed after Michaela and Cloud Dancing.

As Michaela rode, the only thing she could think about was Sully. Was he hurt; was he even alive? She didn't want to think the worst, and she knew that she couldn't even prepare herself for it. She brushed away the tears in her eyes and focused on the ride, hoping to God that Sully was going to pull through. She didn't know what she'd do if she lost him. They were apart of one another, and she didn't think she could live without him.


	9. Love You Forever

Chapter 9: Love You Forever 

"Ain't we almost there yet?" Hank asked after about thirty minutes of riding in the freezing cold. Cloud Dancing gave him a look of exasperation as they hurried on toward Sully's location. Cloud Dancing hoped that his friend was still where he left him, but he couldn't be sure that Sully was even conscious. He knew that there were wild animals around that would be more than happy to attack at the smell of blood. Cloud Dancing knew that if Sully was conscious, he was keeping himself hidden.

"We will be there soon," Cloud Dancing said aloud. Michaela had been silent the whole way, keeping her thoughts on finding Sully and nursing him back to health. She had the right instruments for removing bullets, but she couldn't be sure that the bullet wasn't lodged in a place that could be fatal.

So many questions were keeping Michaela's heart pounding hard, and she was so scared for her husband. Jake noticed how tightly Michaela was gripping the saddle of her horse. He reached over and put a hand on her shoulder.

"He's gonna be fine, Dr. Mike."

"Maybe we should have brought the Reverend," Hank commented. Jake shot him a warning glance. Michaela finally broke her silence and looked at Jake.

"What are you doing this for, Jake? Hank?" Michaela asked.

"Excuse me?"

"I haven't known you very long, but neither you nor Hank seem like the kind of men who are out to help their fellow citizens. Why are you so interested in helping me and Cloud Dancing find Sully?"

"I just wanted to do somethin' to help."

"Why bother now, Jake?" Michaela asked, her worry peaking through. She normally wouldn't have spoken so harshly to Jake or Hank, but she couldn't help it. She was desperately worried about Sully and was taking it all out on the nearest person.

"Hey now," Hank interrupted. "We ain't exactly Sully's biggest fans, but we know when somebody needs helpin'. We ain't exactly happy to be travelin' in the company of no Injun either."

"Why don't you just go back into town?" Michaela asked. Cloud Dancing reached out to her but she pulled away. "You two don't even care about Sully."

"That ain't true. He's a good man even though we don't see eye to eye most of the time," Jake spoke up. "Plus, you're the doctor. You've done a lot of good for this town already, and we wanna help you." Michaela brushed the tears out of her eyes and glanced at Cloud Dancing.

"Let's keep moving. I want to find him as soon as possible." Cloud Dancing brought his horse back into a trot while Michaela followed behind. Jake and Hank exchanged looks and contemplated leaving since they didn't feel wanted, but they went on anyways, knowing that Michaela was just worried about her husband. They decided they had better keep quiet so Michaela wouldn't feel the need to yell at them again.

Cloud Dancing knew how upset Michaela was, but he too was wise to not say anything to her. He knew that she was worried sick about the man she loved, and she wouldn't feel better until they found him.

Tears were burning Michaela's eyes, and her hand absent-mindedly wandered up to her neck. Her fingers played with the silver locket that Sully had given her. She closed her eyes, remembering what was inscribed on the inside.

"My heart song," she whispered.

"What?" Hank asked, having heard the doctor's words. Michaela sniffled and brushed a tear away.

"Nothing," she replied. She suddenly felt a renewed hope inside of her. She and Sully were going to spend the rest of their lives together, and for some reason, thinking about the locket gave her a promise that everything was going to be alright. It had to be. She closed her eyes and then she heard it. It was faint but it made her heart skip a beat.

"Michaela!" came the scream. Michaela jolted and her horse spooked. It bucked a little and Michaela managed to calm it down.

"What happened?" Cloud Dancing asked as Michaela took a deep breath.

"Didn't you hear him?"

"Hear what?" Hank asked.

"He called to me," Michaela whispered. "Oh God! He called to me! He's alive!" Hank and Jake both shrugged but Cloud Dancing smiled.

"He spoke to you. We are close."

"Yes," Michaela replied with a nod. "Let's keep moving forward." They continued on, but this time Michaela felt a weight lifted off of her just knowing in her heart that Sully was alive and thinking of her.

Colleen handed Snow Bird a cup of tea and the woman drank it gratefully.

"Thank you," Snow Bird said gently. "You help Dr. Mike often?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna be a doctor just like her."

"You will make a good one."

"Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes. My baby is fine, but I think Cloud Dancing is worried that we may have been harmed."

"I'm sure you're both fine. Just get some rest." Colleen walked out of the room and closed the door behind her. Brian and Pup were in the hall.

"Is Snow Bird gonna be alright?" Brian asked with worry in his young eyes.

"She's gonna be fine, Brian. Come with me downstairs."

"Is pa alright?" Colleen swallowed the lump in her throat. She hoped that Sully was all right and that Dr. Mike could get to him in time. Snow Bird had explained to Matthew and Colleen what had happened to Sully. They decided not to tell Brian because they didn't want him to worry. Matthew and Colleen were worrying enough for the three of them.

"I'm sure he's fine, Brian. Come on, let's go downstairs." They descended the stairs to find Matthew and Ingrid standing in the kitchen.

"Hey Ingrid," Colleen said with a smile.

"Colleen. Hello Brian," she said with a smile. "I bring apples."

"Great! I love apples!" Brian reached for one but Colleen slapped his hand away.

"Thank you Ingrid. I'll bake a pie tonight and use these." She took the basket and put them on the counter. Brian looked up at Matthew.

"Matthew, is pa gonna be alright?"

"He'll be fine, little brother."  
"Do you think he's hurt?" Matthew and Colleen exchanged glances and he knelt down to be face-to-face with Brian.

"Don't you worry, alright? Dr. Mike's gonna take good care of him." Brian sighed and went upstairs with Pup tagging along. Matthew and Colleen shook their heads.

"No word yet from Dr. Mike?" Ingrid asked.

"Nope," Colleen replied. "I hope they got to Sully. We need him. Dr. Mike needs him especially."

"They'll find him. They'll bring him home and our family'll be back together again," Matthew said, putting an arm around his sister. "It's all gonna work out. It has to."

The snow had started to fall and it was falling so quickly and heavily that the visibility was close to zero. Michaela pulled her coat around herself tightly as they rode, and the frozen ground provided the perfect bed for the snow to fall and stick.

"This is how we're gonna die," Hank mumbled as he and Jake rode side by side. They're gonna find us out here frozen like ice blocks come springtime when the snow starts to melt.

"Will you shut up?" Jake asked.

"Quiet!" Cloud Dancing shouted, holding his hand up. Everyone fell silent and a low moan was heard from behind a bush. Michaela's eyes went wide and she practically jumped off of her horse to hurry to the sound.

"Sully!" she called. She heard another groan and the men followed behind her. Michaela found Sully lying under a blanket of snow, his limbs red from the cold and his lips blue from lack of oxygen and from lying outside on the frozen ground for so long. "Sully!" Michaela rolled him onto his back and brushed the snow off of his face. His teeth were chattering She saw that the snow was being colored by Sully's blood. There was no way she could move him without extracting the bullet first. She licked her lips and realized that Sully was fading fast.

"Is he gonna make it?" Hank asked with concern. Michaela ignored the question, afraid of the answer.

"I can't move him," she whispered. "We need to build him a shelter. Hank, go gather as many strong branches as you can. Jake, you help Cloud Dancing gather pine branches. We need to build a shelter from the wind and snow. Jake looked at Cloud Dancing who nodded. He nodded back and the three men briskly walked off to do as the doctor asked. Michaela felt Sully's forehead. He was burning up with fever, and she knew that he was close to becoming unconscious. His eyes were glazed over, but he could see her.

"Michaela," he whispered. "I . . . I love you."

"Hold on, Sully. Hold on!" she begged. Michaela pulled her coat off and covered Sully with it as she opened her medical bag.

"No! You'll freeze," he whispered.

"You're more important right now! You just hold on and fight! Please fight! She pulled open his shirt and examined the wound. The bullet hadn't gone all the way through, which in this case was a good thing because it was pressed up against his lung, thus causing a lack of oxygen. She knew that if she wasn't careful, she could puncture his lung while attempting to extract the bullet. "Sully, I can't give you anything for the pain. It isn't safe right now. So listen to me. I'm going to remove the bullet. It's lodged in deep, and it's going to hurt." Michaela reached over to pull over a thick tree branch. She broke it in half and put it in Sully's mouth. "Bite down on his if you have to." Michaela was worried because performing this task in the middle of the woods left Sully highly susceptible to acquiring an infection.

"I trust you," Sully whispered, his body shivering beyond his control. Michaela bit her bottom lip as she began to procedure. Sully suppressed the screams that he wanted very much to cry out. He also knew that there were wild animals out there that would be led right to them and could attack.

As Michaela performed the procedure, she knew that the life of her husband was in her hands. She was so terrified that she would slip because her hands were shaking. She was freezing and scared all at the same time. She only wished that it wasn't the middle of winter. She had to also watch for signs of pneumonia, and from the signs of Sully's blue lips and the wheeze in his breaths, he was well on his way to getting it.

Myra was keeping Grace and Robert E. company inside of their home. Robert E. was actually outside closing up shop since the snow had started up again. Grace was brewing tea, and all Myra could think about was Hank.

"How are things with you and Horace?" Grace wondered. Myra looked over at her friend. She swallowed hard, feeling guilty. She and Horace were courting, but her feelings for Hank were growing stronger by the day.

"They're fine," she replied, fidgeting with the strap of her handbag. Grace raised an eyebrow.

"You're hidin' somethin'," Grace guessed.

"Why would ya think that?"

"Because you have that guilty look on your face. I know that guilty look. You've got someone else on your mind?"

"No!" Myra exclaimed. Grace chuckled a little.

"You can tell me, ya know?"

"I know." She sighed heavily and shook her head. "I ain't ready to talk about it yet."

"Alright," Grace replied. "That's fair enough. Just answer me one question."

"What?"

"Do you see yourself spendin' the rest of your life with Horace?" Myra looked up at Grace with wide eyes and then looked down.

"I don't know, Grace. I just ain't sure that Horace is the man I want to walk down the aisle with; have children with. I ain't sure he and I are meant to be together."

"Well," Grace said, clearing her throat, "I think you better talk to Horace before he goes and gets his heart broken."

Sully had passed out during the procedure, and Michaela was concerned. She knew she needed to keep him warm, and until Hank, Jake, and Cloud Dancing returned, the only thing they had was each other. She buttoned Sully's shirt, being careful to avoid his bandages, and she snuggled up against him on the cold ground. She pulled her coat up to cover the both of him. She could feel Sully's heart beating slowly in his chest. His breaths were slow, shallow, and still held a wheeze.

Michaela rested her head on Sully's chest, at least the side that wasn't damaged due to the bullet wound. She looked up at his beautiful face, and ran her fingers through his hair.

"I'm so worried, Sully. You've got to pull through this for me. You've got to wake up in the morning and be alright. The children need you. I need you most of all. I'm going to love you forever, and I don't want to spend the rest of my days as a widow. You have to fight." She began to sob. "You have to fight because we have our whole lives ahead of us! We still have to make a baby. We still have to watch the children grow up and get married. You have to fight for me, do you hear me? Fight and hold on, because I swear to you Sully, I won't be able to live without you. You say that I'm your heart song. Well, you are my heart."

"Michaela," Sully whispered. Michaela gasped and looked up to see Sully slowly opening his eyes. His lips were still blue, but the red in his face was slowly fading. She felt his forehead; his fever hadn't broken yet.

"Oh Sully," she whispered.

"If I don't make it," he began.

"Shh," she replied, putting her fingers to his lips. "You're going to be fine." Sully coughed a bit and Michaela felt her heart breaking.

"If I don't make it," he repeated, "I want you to find love again." The sobs started to come again and Michaela tried her hardest to stop them. Her chest was heaving and the hot tears were stinging her frozen cheeks.

"No!" she screamed. "You're the only man I ever want to be with. You're my husband, and I will never love another man as much as I love you." She kissed his lips gently and she saw the tears starting to fall.

"Michaela, I don't want to see you cry," Sully whispered.

"Then you can't give up on me. You have to fight because I won't watch you slip away from me. I can't fight for you. You have to want to live."

"I want to live, Michaela. I ain't ready to leave this life. I need to be with you." He began to cough and Michaela's heart broke a little more. She kissed his forehead.

"Shh," she whispered. "Just rest now. Just rest and fight. It's going to be okay." She got up and went around to find some dry wood to create a fire with. She hoped to God that her three companions would be back soon, because she wasn't sure Sully was going to make it through the night if he didn't get shelter from the bitter wind and snow. She didn't want to think about the seriousness of his condition, but it was right there in her face, and she knew that if he didn't get warm soon, he was going to die.

As soon as a small fire was going, Michaela pulled a copper cup out of her medical bag, melted some snow in it over the fire, and put quinine in it to help break Sully's fever. She brought the cup to Sully's lips.

"Drink this." Sully took a weak sip and Michaela continued to have him drink it until it was gone. Finally, she crawled back under the coat with him and snuggled against him, hoping to God that he was going to pull through.


	10. A Second Chance

Chapter 10: A Second Chance 

"Do you think they're going to be alright?" Dorothy asked Loren as he hung up his apron for the evening. It was mid day, but no business was coming in.

"Ah, I'm sure Hank and Jake are lookin' after Dr. Mike."

"Some of the men are getting ready to go look for 'em. Are you goin'?"

"No," Loren replied, putting on his hat and coat. "I'm gonna go check on the kids. I'm sure they're worried sick about Dr. Mike and Sully."

"That's very nice of ya, Loren," Dorothy replied. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and smiled at him. She smiled back and walked outside to hitch up his wagon.

Meanwhile, outside, Horace, Robert E., and the Reverend were meeting at Robert E.'s livery to discuss the best place to start when looking for Dr. Mike and the search party. Ethan Cooper was standing nearby listening to the whole conversation.

"We gotta get them back soon," Horace started.

"I agree," Reverend Johnson said with a nod. "Those children are all alone out there, and they need Dr. Mike and Sully."

"We'll get 'em back." Robert E. sounded confident. The men started off on their search. Grace had packed enough food for them and for the others once they found them. Everyone in town hoped everyone would return to sound safely, but things never seemed to be that simple.

As they were riding off, Sully's two attackers mounted their horses and started off in the right direction. They had a feeling that Sully was still alive, and they were going to go finish the job.

The snow had stopped for now, but it had been replaced by an awful chill in the air. The wind was blowing furiously and Sully was starting to shake in his sleep. Michaela checked his pulse, pulled out her stethoscope and listened to his lungs. He didn't have fluid in them, but his respiration was declining. She was pretty sure that he was starting to get pneumonia.

"Oh Sully," Michaela whispered. "Hank, Jake, and Cloud Dancing will be back soon. You're going to be alright." She wasn't so sure about her own words, but she had to keep encouraging Sully to hold on. She remembered having to give him a reason to stay once. Now she felt like she was doing it all over again. "I love you so much. You have to keep holding on." The words coming from her lips weren't falling on closed ears. Sully heard every word Michaela said, but he was too weak to even open his eyes. He gently squeezed Michaela's hand and let her know that he heard her.

"I love you," he whispered. Michaela let out a choked sob at the sound of her husband's words. She knew that it was only a matter of time before the rest of the search party came back. She hoped that Cloud Dancing could help her heal Sully. He was growing worse by the minute and the worst fear was filling Michaela's heart.

Sully started coughing again, and blood began to trickle out of the corner of Sully's mouth. Michaela held his head up and she saw the blood. She knew the infection had spread to his lungs.

"No," Michaela begged. "No! You have to get better!" She rolled him onto his side, knowing that he was no longer conscious. She didn't want him to drown in his own blood. She rubbed his back, not knowing what else she could do for him while they were out in the middle of nowhere.

Michaela felt the cold start to get to her again, and she soon fell asleep, her hand clutching Sully's, silently praying that God wouldn't let them die.

"With each creak in the house, Brian would jump up and run to the window to see if Michaela and Sully were home. Each time he was terribly disappointed.

Matthew had started a fire, and Brian was sitting in front of it with Pup. Pup had curled himself up into a ball in front of the fire. Colleen was sitting by the window, keeping an eye out for any sign of Michaela or Sully while she was working on a new dress for the springtime. Matthew was outside chopping more wood for the fireplace. He heard hoof beats and looked to see Ethan riding up in a fancy new surrey pulled by his black stallion. He sighed heavily and looked toward the house. Colleen was no longer perched by the window. The front door opened and the younger two Cooper children came outside.

"Afternoon," Ethan greeted them, dismounting his horse. Matthew threw his axe down and went up to the porch to stand with his brother and sister.

"What are you doin' here?" Matthew asked.

"I'm here to take you kids to San Francisco." Colleen gripped Matthew's arm and Brian looked up at his big brother.

"For the last time, we ain't goin'," Matthew said quietly. He stared into his father's eyes, daring him to say another word. Ethan stepped forward, holding a hand out to Colleen. Matthew pushed Ethan away, and Ethan pushed him back. "Colleen, take Brian inside."

"No! We ain't leavin' you!" Colleen looked at Ethan. "As far as we're concerned, you ain't our pa no more! Sully's our pa and Dr. Mike's our new ma. You ain't gonna change that!" Matthew pushed Ethan back when he reached out to Colleen again.

"You don't touch her!" Ethan was getting fed up with his oldest son, and when Matthew pushed him back again, he took a swing, hitting his son square in the jaw. Colleen screamed and pulled Brian close to her. He hid his face in his big sister's skirt. Matthew was stunned and stumbled back. He rubbed his aching jaw, and a moment later, he swung at his father, knocking him into the dirt. The two began to fight and Colleen frantically screamed for them to stop.

"Don't! Don't hurt him!" she screamed. "Please stop!" Colleen looked up to see Mr. Bray riding up in a wagon. She took Brian's hand and they ran over. Loren saw what was going on and he jumped out of his wagon.

"Mr. Bray!" Brian cried. "Stop them! Don't let him hurt Matthew!"

"It's alright, boy," Loren assured the boy he thought of as a grandson. He hurried over and pulled at the neck of Ethan's coat. "Get off of him! He's your son, for cryin' out loud!" Matthew wanted to take another swing at Ethan, but he knew that none of it should have happened in the first place.

"They're my kids!" Ethan shouted.

"No they ain't!" Loren insisted. "Not anymore!" He pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Matthew. "Just got a telegraph that the papers have been processed and the children belong to Dr. Mike and Sully."

"That's impossible! Those papers couldn't have gone through so quickly."

"They had a little help," Loren replied. "Read it, boy." He motioned to Matthew who was practically on the verge of tears.

"This is from a judge in Denver. It says that 'thanks to a close friend in Boston, Dr. Josef Quinn, I was informed of Ethan Cooper's presence in Colorado Springs, and after some extensive research, I gained knowledge of some of his actions in San Francisco.'" Matthew wasn't quite sure what that meant, but he didn't care at the moment. He continued. "It also says 'I am hereby informing Dr. Michaela Quinn and Mr. Byron Sully that the papers have gone through and the adoption has been granted. Formal papers shall be following in by mail in a few weeks.'" A huge smile came across Matthew's face and the tears began to fall. Colleen and Brian shouted out in delight and hugged their big brother. Loren chuckled and watched the children celebrate that they were a true family now with Dr. Mike and Sully. He saw the look in Matthew's eyes when he looked at Ethan. Loren cleared his throat.

"Come on, kids. Why don't we go inside and we can bake a pie to celebrate?"

"Chocolate?!" Brian asked hopefully. Loren chuckled.

"My favorite." He followed the children inside while Matthew stared down the man who he had once called his pa.

"You ain't got a reason to be here. Get off our property. You ain't welcome here." Matthew turned and went inside to join his brother, sister, and Mr. Bray. Ethan stared up at the house for a moment before he turned, knowing he had lost for good, and left the property, deciding not to return again.

"Thank God you're back," Michaela whispered, standing up and greeting Jake, Hank, and Cloud Dancing.

"We brought stuff to make shelter for the night, and we also brought some things to make a litter to carry Sully back to town on. You think we'd be able to make it tonight?" Jake asked.

"No. He's on the borderline of having pneumonia. He's coughing up blood, but he's unconscious right now. We shouldn't try to move him until the morning."

"I will brew a tea for him," Cloud Dancing offered.

"Yes, thank you," Dr. Mike said with an appreciative nod. While Cloud Dancing began to brew the tea, Michaela helped Hank and Jake create a temporary lean to that could house all of them and protect them from the elements of nature for a few hours. Michaela was distracted, worrying about the children, and hoping that Ethan wasn't causing any trouble. She kept thinking about Sully and hoping that he was going to make it through the night, because frankly, she wasn't quite sure if he was fighting hard enough to pull through it.

Hank and Jake seemed surprisingly civil toward Cloud Dancing, and Michaela was pleased that they were working together as a team for a common cause.

By the time the lean-to was constructed, Cloud Dancing had brewed the tea.

"Hank? Will you help me over here?" Michaela asked. Hank nodded slowly and crouched down to help Michaela turn Sully onto his back. Michaela lifted his head and Cloud Dancing poured the hot liquid into Sully's mouth, past his blue, lifeless lips. They continued this in silence for the next several minutes. When the tea was gone, Michaela and Hank put Sully back on his side in case he coughed up any more blood.

The rest of the afternoon was spent watching over Sully and keeping an eye out in case his attackers came back.

When dusk came around, Hank and Jake's stomachs were growling audibly. Cloud Dancing gave them an amused look.

"What are you lookin' at?" Hank asked defensively.

"You are hungry. I will hunt for food."

"Oh no. We ain't eatin' any crazy Injun food," Jake spoke up. Cloud Dancing looked at Michaela and Sully. Michaela was sleeping, curled up next to Sully.

"I will help you hunt," Cloud Dancing replied. "We cannot starve. We must stay strong for Sully." He stood. Hank and Jake thought for a moment, but their stomachs answered for them with another much louder growl. They stood and walked off with Cloud Dancing, hoping they wouldn't get lost and Cloud Dancing would leave them to starve. Deep down, they both knew that wouldn't happen, but they wanted to be cautious for the sake of their reputations.

Hours had passed and the men were still out hunting. The stars were out and the snow was falling again. But, Michaela couldn't tell because she was fast asleep. She was having a wonderful dream about her future with Sully, completely oblivious to what was going on around her in the real world.

The crack of a gunshot woke Michaela. She sat up quickly, gasping for air. She began to shake when the howl of a wolf sounded through the forest. She looked around seeing no sign of Cloud Dancing, Hank, or Jake.

A moment later, she felt a gentle hand on her arm. She quickly turned to see Sully sitting up smiling at her. Her eyes went wide and she threw her arms around his neck.

"Sully!" she exclaimed. The color had returned to her husband's face, and when she felt his forehead, she discovered that his fever had broken. She sighed with relief. "You're going to be alright!"

"You saved my life," Sully whispered.

"It was Cloud Dancing's tea," Michaela admitted. Sully shook his head and kissed her cheek, brushing the tears away from her eyes.

"No. It was your love and devotion to me that kept me hangin' on. I fought for you. I fought so I could live the rest of my life with you. I ain't ready to leave ya." Michaela broke down into tears and Sully rocked her back and forth. He kissed the top of her head and whispered to her, telling her he loved her and that he was never going to leave her.

Rustling broke the moment and Cloud Dancing and Hank came running into the campsite. They were both carrying Jake who was bleeding profusely from his shoulder.

"What happened?!" Michaela asked.

"The two men who shot Sully saw me and decided to shoot. They hit Jake."

"I shot 'em both. They're lyin' dead out there," Hank confessed. Michaela swallowed hard and nodded. Normally she would have felt some kind of compassion for the men who Hank had brought to their deaths, but they had caused a great deal of pain and nearly killed Sully. She knew that if Hank hadn't stopped them, they would have found her and Sully and killed them in their sleep.

"Bring him here," Michaela insisted. Jake was groaning in pain, and Michaela exposed the flesh on his shoulder to examine the wound. "You're lucky. The bullet passed through. I can cleanse it and stitch it up." She brought her medical bag to her side. "Hank, I need your help in holding him down." Hank nodded and did as the doctor asked. Cloud Dancing clasped hands with his white brother.

"You have returned to us." Sully nodded and hugged Cloud Dancing.

"I couldn't have done it without Michaela," Sully confessed, knowing Michaela couldn't hear him over Jake's screams of agony. "She's my life. I had to fight for her."

In the morning, Matthew, Colleen, and Brian were at the clinic. Dorothy, Grace, and Myra were spending the morning with them. The children had brought Snow Bird into town to rest at the clinic, and they were anxiously waiting for Michaela and Sully to come home. Horace, Robert E., and Reverend Johnson had come back late at night the evening before having found absolutely no trace of Sully nor the other search party.

"You think they'll be back soon?" Brian asked as he sat on Grace's lap.

"I'm sure they'll be home any minute," Myra spoke up. She was hoping that they would come home safe, and that Hank too would be safe.

"Yeah, I bet they'll have plenty of stories to tell when they get back," Matthew replied.

"And we've got good news for 'em." Matthew smiled at his sister's comment.

"We sure do." The sound of a wagon pulling into town sent everyone to the window.

"It's ma and pa!" Brian exclaimed. Everyone rushed outside to find Hank driving the wagon, Michaela sitting up front with him, and Cloud Dancing sitting in the back with a groggy Jake and a weak Sully. The wagon pulled up outside of the clinic, and Cloud Dancing hopped out, helping Jake and Sully out.

"Snow Bird? Where is she?" he asked.

"She's upstairs resting," Colleen replied with a smile. Cloud Dancing hurried inside. Everyone gathered around Jake and Sully as Hank helped Michaela out of the wagon.

"What happened?" Matthew asked.

"It's a long story," Michaela replied. "We'll tell it to you all later. Right now, Sully and Jake both need to get up to bed."

"I'll prepare the rooms," Colleen offered.

"Thank you." Matthew and Hank helped Sully and Jake into the clinic and up the stairs. After Colleen helped Michaela with the two new patients, Grace took the children over to her house to give Michaela room to work. She promised to make them a special lunch and they had to eat every bite before they could go back to the clinic. She knew that Michaela needed to get some work down before the children came back over.

Michaela walked out into the hallway where Cloud Dancing was waiting. He looked at her with hope and worry in his eyes.

"Snow Bird and your baby are both fine," Michaela said with a reassuring smile. She touched Cloud Dancing's shoulder.

"Thank you."

"And thank you for all you've done," Michaela replied. "You can go see her now." Cloud Dancing walked into Snow Bird's room, glad to know that his wife and unborn child were safe and healthy.

Michaela sighed and yawned a little bit before she headed into Sully's room. He was sitting up in bed, sipping a bit of tea that Michaela had brewed for him.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better," He replied. "I'm gonna be alright."

"Yes you are." Michaela sat down in the chair at his bedside. Her eyes were full of tears. His hand came up to cup her cheek.

"Michaela?"

"Oh, Sully, I almost lost you!"

"But ya didn't."

"Sully, that's not the point. The point is that I came so close to losing you, and I don't ever want that to happen again! I felt like my soul had been ripped out when you started to get worse. You're a part of me, and it's going to be that way forever." She gripped his hand and kissed it gently. "I love you so much that it hurts sometimes."

"That's exactly the way I feel about you. Michaela, when I was lyin' there yesterday, I kept dreamin' 'bout your face. That's what got me through the night. That's what made it easier for me to recover. You just bein' there was what helped me make it." A tear slid down Sully's cheek and Michaela leaned down to press a kiss to his lips.

The door opened and Loren walked in.

"Sorry," he said with a blush.

"That's alright," Michaela replied quietly.

"I just wanted to let ya know that I'm glad you're alright," Loren said with a nod.

"I appreciate that," Sully replied. "I really do." Loren turned to leave but remembered that he had something else to say.

"Oh, I thought you both better know that Ethan Cooper went out to the homestead again, tryin' to get the kids."

"Oh," Michaela said with a disappointed sigh. She looked at Sully. "What are we going to do about him?"

"Well, I . . ." Before Loren could say another word, the Cooper children hurried in.

"Ma?" Brian asked. "We forgot to tell ya somethin' earlier."

"What's that?" Michaela asked, pulling Brian into her lap. Matthew handed Michaela the telegram and she read over it. Her face lit up and the tears began to flow again.

"What's the matter? What is it?" Sully asked. Michaela handed him the paper and he read over it as well. His eyes lit up with pride and he smiled at his family. "This says we're officially a family." The children all gathered around their new pa and Loren quietly backed out of the room with a smile on his face, letting the family enjoy the knowledge that nobody was ever going to break them apart.


	11. Back to Normal

Chapter 11: Back to Normal 

A month had passed since Ethan Cooper left Colorado Springs. It was February, and Valentine's Day was a week away, which meant that Michaela's birthday was eight days away. The children and their new parents were adjusting nicely to family life, and they couldn't have been happier to finally be a real family. Sully's wound was healing nicely, and the scar was healing and barley recognizable by the unknowing eye. Michaela had done a fantastic job of stitching him up.

Snow Bird and Cloud Dancing were both in excellent health as they waited with the rest of their tribe for the birth of their child. It was many months away, but they were still excited, as most expectant parents would be.

Jake was also healing nicely, and even though he didn't show it, he had a newfound respect for Cloud Dancing who had been there to help him when he was shot. Hank too had a newfound respect for Cloud Dancing, but he was less willing to show it than Jake, unfortunately.

Michaela had gotten back into the swing of things at the clinic, and she was no longer too tired to stay all day. Colleen helped out around the clinic while Matthew would do odd jobs for the widowed or single ladies to make a dollar or two. Brian spent most of his time at the mercantile, staring up at all of the candy that he had to choose from. Mr. Bray didn't mind. He liked having the boy around, but he would act as if he was annoyed. Having Brian around made Loren wonder what it would have been like to have a grandchild of his own. Unfortunately Abagail and Hanna had passed on and he never got to have the experience of watching his granddaughter grow up.

Sully walked into the mercantile and he saw Brian looking at the candy. He shook his head and chuckled, picking the boy up into his arms.

"Your ma wouldn't want you to ruin your supper," Sully scolded with a laugh. Brian sighed.

"I know," he whined. "Can I just have one gumdrop?" Sully sighed as the boy pulled a penny out of his pocket.

"Alright. Just one." Brian's face lit up as Sully put him down. The boy went about picking out which gumdrop he wanted. Sully walked over to the counter and Loren gave him a strange smile. "What?"

"How are things out at the homestead?"

"They're good. Why?" Sully wondered.

"Well, folks were startin' to talk a couple weeks ago before everything happened, and they were startin' to think that Dr. Mike was . . ." he lowered his voice and leaned in to whisper in Sully's ear. "Pregnant." Sully looked at Loren as he pulled away. He had to admit that that had been the exact thing he was thinking. He hadn't wanted to get his hopes up, and Michaela seemed to be much less tired now than she had been a few weeks ago.

"Nope," Sully replied, shaking his head. "She was just tired."

"Ah," Loren replied, not sure whether or not to believe Sully. He could see that Sully was unsure about it himself.

"Come on, Brian. We gotta meet your ma for lunch." Brian picked out a green gumdrop, tossed the penny at Loren, and hurried out of the mercantile. Sully followed and they walked across the street to the clinic. Sully knocked on the door, knowing that it was possible that Michaela had a patient and he didn't want to intrude.

Her sweet voice followed his knock.

"Come in." Sully opened the door and Brian ran in ahead of him, making sure he chewed up the gumdrop and swallowed it before his ma could see him and get on his case. Sully walked over to greet his wife, kissing her lovingly on the lips. She looked up into his eyes and practically drowned in his eyes. "Ready to go home for lunch?"

"Yes, I suppose we should. Colleen left an hour ago to start cooking it." Sully laughed and kissed her cheek. "I really should learn how to cook. Colleen shouldn't have to do it all the time."

"She likes it though," Sully replied. "It makes her feel more grown up."

"She's told you?"

"No. But I know why kids her age like to help out. They like fittin' in and feelin' useful."

"She's very useful and helpful to me at the clinic. I don't want her to feel like she has to do everything." Michaela chewed on her bottom lip. "Maybe if the children had a school to go to, they would have other things to do and not have to feel like they have to do everything."

"Most parents wouldn't complain," Sully said with a laugh. "They'd appreciate havin' the kids do stuff for 'em."

"It's just that all my life I've had people doing things for me. I want to learn how to cook so I can feed my family. I'm not saying I want to cook every night, because I absolutely despise cooking." Sully laughed. "But I want to do it for our family." Sully kissed her cheek.

"If that's what you want." Michaela nodded. Sully began to think of Loren's words, and he decided it was time to talk to Michaela about it. "Brian, will ya go wait in the wagon?"

"Sure," Brian replied. He hurried outside without closing the door. Michaela sighed, so Sully walked over to shut it.

"What's the matter?" Michaela asked.

"Are you feelin' better?"

"What are you talking about?"

"A few weeks ago," Sully started, "you were feelin' poorly and sleepin' a lot." He figured that if Michaela was expecting, she would tell him, but he had to make sure.

"Yes," Michaela replied, shaking her head.

"Well, I was wonderin' if maybe you . . ." he began to fumble with his words, not knowing quite how to say what he wanted to say. Michaela knew what he was aiming for, however. She shook her head.

"Sully, I thought I might have been pregnant too. But it just wasn't so. I woke up and I had gotten my monthly."

"Oh," Sully replied, trying not to sound too disappointed. Michaela smiled a little and ran hr fingers through his hair.

"It'll happen," she whispered. "I'm young, strong, and healthy. It's going to happen, Sully." She kissed him lovingly and they embraced. She frowned a bit, thoughts clouding her mind. She had indeed gotten her monthly, but it had only lasted for a day. She knew that some women experienced bleeding during their pregnancy, and it could hide the pregnancy under the guise of a monthly cycle. She now began to wonder if she was indeed with child. She had been feeling extra tired, but she had gotten more sleep than usual too, so she wasn't so tired in the mornings. She had been feeling a bit nauseated, but that had been eased by willow bark tea. She hadn't gotten her monthly yet, but did that really mean anything?

"Michaela?" Sully asked after several moments of silence. They pulled away from one another and Sully could see a new light in his wife's eyes. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, everything's fine," she replied with a smile. She kissed her husband again and took his hand. "Let's go home."

Michaela couldn't concentrate throughout lunch, but she had found that her appetite had grown quite a bit. The family didn't seem to notice how quickly she gobbled down her slice of apple pie at dessert. When lunch was over, however, Michaela was still very hungry. She looked at the jar of pickles that was sitting in front of her. She reached in and grabbed one to munch on. Brian looked at Michaela and furrowed his brows. They had had beef stew, cottage cheese, and apple pie. So why was Michaela eating a big sour pickle?

"Ma?" he asked.

"Hmm?" she asked. Everyone stared at Michaela as she ate. "What's everyone looking at?" Sully felt a bit queasy as Michaela ate a pickle. He nearly lost it when she dipped it in the remains of the apple pie on her plate.

"May I be excused?" Brian asked.

"Certainly," Michaela replied. "Go wash up." Brian hurried up the stairs and Colleen excused herself, doing the same thing.

"Michaela?" Sully asked.

"Hmm?"

"What are you doing?"  
"I'm eating. I must have been famished." She popped the last bit of the pickle in her mouth and devoured it. "Yes, much better." She suddenly realized what she had just done. Without even realizing it, she had had her first strange craving.

"Do you think you're . . ." Sully started.

"I'm not sure," Michaela replied. "I don't believe I am. It's probably just a coincidence." She didn't want to get her hopes up or his, but she was leaning toward the possible reality of being pregnant. "I'll be right back down. I'm going to go freshen up. She started up the stairs just as Brian and Colleen were coming back down. She walked into the bedroom and shut the door behind her.

Her stomach was starting to feel funny, and she figured it was because of the food she had just eaten. But, she couldn't be too sure. She removed her dress and looked at herself in the floor length mirror. Her belly was still flat, but something about it seemed different. It seemed a tiny bit more round.

Her eyes went wide as her hand went to her stomach. Perhaps she really was pregnant! Her dress _had_ been fitting a little tighter, but she hadn't really paid any attention to that. The signs were all there, and the only thing that wasn't obvious was whether or not she really was pregnant.

A knock came to the door and Sully walked in. Michaela was just pulling her dress on, and Sully walked up behind her to button up the back. She turned and smiled at him as he took her into his arms.

"You look so beautiful."

"You don't think I look fat?" Michaela asked with a grin.

"Why would you look fat?" Sully asked. Michaela sighed and shook her head.

"Perhaps I'm just getting my hopes up."

"There ain't nothin' wrong with that."

"Sully, we both want a baby so badly, so maybe I'm just feeling these symptoms because I want to feel them. Maybe it's all in my head."

"Come here," Sully whispered. He pulled Michaela close and she rested her head on his shoulder. She wanted so badly to be able to tell Sully that she was sure she was pregnant. But, she didn't want to get his hopes up too high and then have to tell him she wasn't. She needed to make sure. She couldn't exactly examine herself, but there was a doctor in Denver named Dr. Bernard. She knew he could tell her exactly what was going on.

"Sully, I need to make a trip to Denver."

"What?" Sully asked. "Why now?"

"It's important. I'll be back in a few days. It's very important."

"I'll go."

"Someone needs to stay with the children."

"They can come too."

"Sully, I need to do this on my own."

"I'm your husband. You can tell me anything." Michaela sighed heavily. She knew that she should tell him, but she also knew that she couldn't go to Denver without a good explanation.

"Never mind. I don't really need to go."

"What's goin' on?"

"Nothing. I'm just a little confused. We better get back into town." Michaela took his hand and they left the room. Sully was completely confused. Michaela wasn't acting like herself. He was sure that she was pregnant, but he didn't want to say that to her. She was already worried enough about becoming pregnant. He didn't want to tell her that he was sure, because if he got her hopes up and it turned out he was wrong, he didn't want her to fret. He wanted her happy, so he decided to drop the subject of babies and pregnancy all together for the time being.

As soon as they arrived in town, Michaela excused herself and she hurried over to the telegraph office. Horace was sitting at the desk, sorting through the mailbag.

"Afternoon, Dr. Mike."

"Good afternoon, Horace. I need to send a telegram."

"Alright," Horace replied. "What would you like it to say?" He took out a pencil and something to record Michaela's message on so he wouldn't leave anything out when he sent it.

"Send it to Dr. Bernard in Denver, Colorado." She told Horace to make sure he wrote down that a patient needed his assistance in Colorado Springs, and to ask for Dr. Michaela Quinn when he arrived. She had met this man before, and she trusted him as much as she trusted her father. He was a kind man who would give anyone the time of day. She highly respected him, and he was someone she could definitely trust to tell her whether or not she was expecting.

Michaela left the telegraph office just as Myra was walking in. She saw a look of discomfort on Myra's face, and she knew that it had something to do with herself, Horace, and even Hank. She had noticed Myra spending a lot of time with Hank, and had also realized that it was doing the bartender a lot of good to have her in his company.

"Hello Myra," Horace said with a smile.

"Horace, we need to talk," Myra said softly.

"What is it?"

"I know we've been courtin', but I'm not sure that it's goin' anywhere."

"What do ya mean?"

"I don't think we're meant to be together, Horace. I care about you, I really do, but I think that my heart belongs somewhere else." Horace stood up, looking into Myra's tear-filled eyes.

"You really mean it?" Horace asked. "You don't want us to be courtin' anymore?"

"I'd like for us to be friends."

"It's Hank, ain't it? You're in love with him!"

"I don't know, Horace," she cried. "He's awfully kind to me."

"He runs a saloon and he makes men pay for his whores!"

"Horace, I know what kind of man people think Hank is. But it ain't true. He's got a good heart. He just don't let people see it all the time."

"What kind of life can Hank give you, Myra? You'll be second best to all of his girls!" Myra looked away.

"I don't know what I want yet, Horace. I just don't think that we should be courtin' anymore. I think we'd be better off as friends. Look at us fightin' now."

"It ain't my fault that we're fightin'."

"I know, Horace. I'm sorry I'm hurtin' ya. I'm just tellin' ya how I feel. I hope ya won't stay too mad at me. I couldn't string ya along and lie to ya." Myra walked out of the telegraph office, leaving Horace heart broken.

She was walking over to the clinic to talk with Dr. Mike when Hank spotted her. He saw that she was crying, and he knew he should do something to comfort her. To hell with his reputation. The woman he loved needed a shoulder to cry on. Wait! The woman he loved? He was in love with her?

"Myra?" Myra saw Hank and she wanted to scream and run in the other direction. She wanted to hide her feelings for him, but she couldn't run away. She knew in her heart that she was in love with him.

"Hank, I ain't ready to talk right now."

"We don't gotta talk. You look like you could use some fresh air. Walk with me?" He held his arm out to her, and Myra looked up at him with her big, teary eyes, and she accepted his arm, wrapping hers around his. They walked off in silence, and slowly, Myra began to relax and enjoy the beautiful February afternoon. But her mind kept wandering back to Horace, and she could only hope that he was alright.

Later that afternoon, the children had gone home, and Michaela was finishing up at the clinic. She had no patients in any beds, and she had had a fairly easy day at work. She was upstairs straightening the pillows on one of the beds. She heard the door open and looked up to see Sully. He was smiling, and she couldn't help but smile back.

"Oh, I suppose it's time to head home," Michaela said with a yawn.

"We've got awhile," Sully replied. "I just thought we could spend a little time together first." He closed the door and walked over to the bed. Michaela sat down and he sat beside her.

"Now that we're alone," Michaela started, her voice lowering to a whisper, "what shall we do?"

"Well, I figured," he began, "that we could work on makin' a baby." He began to kiss her neck and Michaela's face blushed.

"Sully!" she exclaimed with a giggle. "We can't do this here."

"Why not?" Sully asked as his hands wandered to unbutton the back of her dress.

"Because it's not . . . it's not . . ."

"It's not what?" Sully asked as his lips found her neck again. Michaela's head rolled back and she was at a loss for words."

"I . . ." she whispered. She was too taken in by Sully's kisses and caresses. She wrapped her arms around Sully's neck and they both fell back onto the bed, forgetting all of their doubts and worries, and basking in the love they showed for one another. It was then that they both knew that even if Michaela wasn't expecting, they were definitely going to enjoy working to make their family grow.


	12. Valentine's Day

Chapter 12: Valentine's Day 

At the crow of the rooster, Michaela opened her eyes only to find that the curtains were drawn and the room was dimly lit from the shaded sunlight. She frowned and looked to Sully's side of the bed. Sully wasn't there, but she found that the bed was covered in red rose petals. She smiled and sat up, looking about the room. Rose petals were scattered all over the place, and the firs thing Michaela thought was that it was one of my most romantic and beautiful things Sully had ever done for her. The second thing she thought was that Sully was going to be the one to clean all of it up.

She pulled back the curtains and saw that it was high noon. She couldn't believe that Sully had let her sleep so long. Maybe he figured that since it was the holiday, she'd want to sleep in a bit longer.

After dressing quickly and brushing her hair out, she descended the stairs in a rapid pace. She nearly cried out in shock when she was greeted with a very loud, "SURPRISE!"

"Oh my God!" Michaela exclaimed. Everyone began to sing Happy Birthday to her. Michaela looked around to see Sully, the children, Grace, Robert E., Dorothy, Loren, Jake, Hank, Myra, Horace, Reverend Johnson, and several others, including Emily Donovan and her children. When the song was over Sully walked over to the stairs and took Michaela's hand. She stepped off of the last step and hugged Sully.

"My birthday isn't until tomorrow," she noted to everyone.

"That's why this is a surprise party," Myra replied. "If it was tomorrow, it really wouldn't have been a surprise."

"You've got a point," Michaela replied with a laugh.

"Give her the present!" Loren suggested eagerly. Robert E. walked over to the front door and opened it. He pulled the something inside and unwrapped it from the blanket that was enveloping it. The sign was a large sign with Michaela's name on it.

"It's gonna hang outside the clinic," Brian pointed out.

"We figured that you've done a lot of good for this town, so we all pitched in to do somethin' nice for you," Grace said with a grin.

"Thank you all so much! This is quite a surprise!" Sully kissed Michaela lovingly and everyone clapped.

"There's one more gift outside for ya, Dr. Mike," Matthew pointed out. The townspeople looked at each other knowingly. Sully led Michaela out onto the porch. Snow Bird and Cloud Dancing were standing with a beautiful mare between them.

"It is a day early," Snow Bird said with a smile, "but I want you to have this gift of appreciation. You took care of me and my unborn child. For that, I thank am grateful. This horse is called Flash in the Sky. She only runs for me, but I know she will run for you." Michaela had tears in her eyes now. She hadn't expected any of this.

"Thank you, Snow Bird. Cloud Dancing," Michaela whispered. She hugged the both of them and took hold of Flash's reins. She patted the horse's nose. "Flash. The two of us will be great friends." Cloud Dancing and Snow Bird left as Michaela went inside to join her family.

Grace had prepared a special cake for Michaela, and while the townsfolk talked and laughed together, Michaela and Sully stole a few minutes out on the porch to hold one another.

"How long have you been planning this?" Michaela asked as she looked thoughtfully up into her husband's eyes.

"Just a couple of weeks," he answered. Michaela smiled and shook her head.

"You never cease to amaze me. I love you so much."

"I love you too," he responded, kissing her forehead, her nose, and her lips one after the other. Michaela giggled and rested her head against Sully's chest. She closed her eyes and suddenly remembered that Dr. Bernard was coming in on a late afternoon stagecoach. She realized that she should be getting back to town.

"Sully, I have an appointment in town today."

"With a patient?" Sully asked.

"Not exactly," Michaela replied, still not wanting to get Sully's hopes up. She was pretty sure he had done a good job of that by himself, however, because with each new day, more signs would become apparent. Michaela, too, was sure, but she needed confirmation in order to be extremely happy.

"You have to go now? This is your party.  
"Well, not right now, but soon. I'm sure everyone will want to get back to celebrating Valentine's Day with the people they love. Grace is even opening her café today for a special Valentine's dinner for the whole town." Sully smiled and kissed Michaela's hand.

"And I would be honored to escort you there." Michaela grinned.

"The children and I will be honored to come with you, but there really is something important I have to do."

"Alright," Sully replied, kissing Michaela's hand. Just let me know when ya gotta go." Michaela nodded and went back inside. Sully was very curious as to what his wife was up to, but he figured she'd let him know as soon as she was ready to. As Sully was walking back into the house, Myra and Hank were walking out onto the porch.

"Myra?" Hank asked as they sit down on the top step.

"Hmm?"

"Are ya goin' to the town's Valentine dinner tonight?"

"I sure am," she replied. "But nobody's asked me to sit with 'em yet." Hank grew nervous, knowing that was not like his usual self.

"Myra?" Hank asked. Myra grinned to herself and her eyes lit up. She turned to face Hank. She saw that his hands were actually trembling, and she put her hand on his.

"Yeah?"

"Would you like to sit with me at dinner tonight?" Myra swallowed hard.

"I figured you'd be takin' some of your saloon girls."

"They ain't important," Hank replied shortly. "And just for the record, I don't take my girls to bed."

"I didn't ask," Myra replied looking away. But it was definitely good to know!

"I never want what happened to Zach's ma to happen to any of my girls. But they ain't as important to me as you are." Myra felt tears stinging her eyes and she stood up. She gripped the railing on the porch and Hank slowly stood up, standing behind her, and put his hands on her arms. "I didn't mean to snap at ya."

"I know," she whispered. She turned in Hank's arms and she saw how much he cared about her. She knew that the smartest thing to do was to turn away and never look back, but she couldn't do that to Hank. He meant so much to her, and she couldn't turn her back on him.

Hank couldn't hold back any longer, and he leaned down to brush his lips over Myra's. He felt her suck in a deep breath before she kissed him back with an equal softness. They heard a noise and pulled apart. When they turned around, Horace was standing in the doorway. Myra's heart broke when she saw the pain in Horace's eyes.

"Horace," she gasped. Horace swallowed hard and pushed his way between the two of them and out to his surrey. Myra wanted to run after him, but her heart told her to stay with Hank. They stood together watching Horace ride off into town in his surrey, alone and heartbroken.

"Give me that!" Colleen exclaimed as Brian ran around Grace's café with one of the centerpieces for the dinner tables. "Brian!" The children had been bickering all afternoon, and Sully heard them as he was talking to Robert E. at the livery.

"There they go again," he said with a sigh. He rushed over to do damage control, and hoped that they wouldn't break anything. He didn't want anyone to have to enforce the 'you break it, you buy it' policy.

Horace hadn't come out of the telegraph office, and when Grace went over to try to convince him to come to the dinner that evening, he politely declined and said that he had nobody to celebrate with. She carefully reminded him that even if he didn't have anyone to celebrate with, there were others in town in the same situation who were coming to celebrate with the town. Horace still declined.

Loren was sweeping the porch of the mercantile, hoping to get everything finished before dinner. Dorothy was inside dusting the shelves and polishing the glass jars and the copper tins. The only person in town who hadn't been out and about was Michaela. Sully had watched her and an older gentleman enter the clinic about an hour ago, and they still hadn't come out.

"Brian, give that back to Colleen," Sully warned as he stopped the boy in his tracks.

"I want to help!"

"No, you want to eat the candies in the centerpieces," Colleen argued.

"So?!"

"So, they ain't for you! You'll have to wait for the dinner tonight!"

"Hey! Whoa!" Sully exclaimed. He took the centerpiece from Brian and handed it to Colleen. She smiled her thanks and walked off to help Grace with the rest of the tables. Sully looked at Brian. "Come on."

"Where are we goin'?"

"You're gonna go help Mr. Bray at the mercantile."

"Why?"

"Because you need to keep busy."

"Why?"

"Because I said so." Brian sighed and followed Sully to the mercantile.

"What can I do for ya?" Loren asked as he put his broom to the side.

"Can you keep Brian busy for a couple of hours? He's trying to eat the centerpieces at the café."

"Just the candy inside," Brian complained. Loren chuckled and shook his head.

"Come on in, boy. I've got plenty for you to do." He handed him the broom and Brian looked up at Sully.

"This ain't fair."

"Life ain't fair sometimes, son." He smiled and walked away. He noticed the older gentleman leaving the clinic, and a few minutes, Michaela came out, practically bouncing as she walked. "Michaela!" Michaela saw her husband and her face lit up. Sully jogged over to her.

"Oh Sully," Michaela said with a smile brighter than the sun. Tears began to fall, but Sully knew they were tears of joy.

"Michaela?"

"That man that I had the appointment with is Dr. Bernard from Denver. He examined me and confirmed my suspicions."

"Suspicions?" Sully asked, his heart beginning to pound.

"We're going to have a baby!" She chuckled with delight and Sully's eyes grew wide and happy with pride.

"A baby?! We're having a baby? You're pregnant?" Sully asked, not sure if he had heard her right. She nodded excitedly. "I'm not dreamin'?"

"No! And neither am I! We're going to have a baby!"

"Oh . . . Michaela!" He picked her up and twirled her around, kissing her lips and her cheeks and holding her close. "Oh, I'm not hurting the baby am I?"

"No," Michaela laughed. They held onto one another and the rest of the townspeople looked on with confusion. Colleen, Brian, and Matthew, who was escorting Ingrid, came over to ask about their parents spectacle."

"What's goin' on?" Colleen asked with a grin.

"We're having a baby!" Michaela announced. Colleen screamed out with excitement and the children ran to hug their mother and father.

"I'm gonna be a pa!" Sully announced loudly. The townsfolk, all delighted with the news, began to applaud, admiring the beautiful family as they celebrated the new life that would be entering this world.

The children had all gone off to bed after the family came home from dinner. It took a lot of convincing to get the excited expecting siblings to bed, but they had somehow done it.

Michaela and Sully had celebrated their happiness in another way, and now they were lying in one another's arms under the warm covers. Sully had his arms wrapped protectively around Michaela as he thought of the new child inside of her.

"I can't believe I'm gonna be a pa."

"You already are one."  
"I know that. I mean, I can't believe we created this life inside of you."

"Dr. Bernard says the baby should be here in September," Michaela whispered. "So we've got plenty of time to prepare."

"I'm not sure if I'll ever be prepared," Sully admitted. Michaela looked into Sully's eyes and she realized how worried he was starting to become.

"Sully, I'm healthy and the baby's healthy. I don't want you to worry. What happened to Abagail isn't going to happen to me."

"I don't like thinkin' about what happened to Abagail, but I know that the possibility of it happenin' again . . ." Michaela hushed him by putting her fingers to his lips.

"That won't happen. We both have to have faith that the baby and I will get through this. We'll be fine and happy, Sully. Don't worry."  
"I'll always worry, but I know that this is my second chance at havin' a family, and nobody's gonna take that away from me. I love you so much."

"I love you too," Michaela whispered. Sully put his hand on Michaela's belly and splayed his fingers out. He began tracing circles on her delicate skin.

"I love you," Sully whispered to his unborn child. "Your pa loves you."

"So does your ma," Michaela replied with a grin. Sully looked up at Michaela and saw a remarkable glow about her. He looked up at the clock and smiled.

"It's midnight," he whispered. "Happy birthday." Michaela took a deep breathing, having completely forgot it was her birthday due to the excitement of the evening. Sully kissed his wife and they spent the next few hours celebrating the new life they had created as well as Michaela's twenty-sixth birthday.

The End


End file.
